









































































r 










BIBLE MYTHS, 

AND THEIR 

PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONS: 


BEING A COMPARISON OF THE 


©lb mtb Nctu Testament itlytljo mtb Jitiraclcs 

WITH 

» 

THOSE OF HEATHEN NATIONS OF ANTIQUITY, 


CONSIDERING ALSO 


TIIEIR ORIGIN AND MEANING. 


c VG iTK/v-a. j "-b d*w\ u3 aJOIco,-. 




n 

f 7 ^ 1 


WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. 


“The same thing which is now called Christian Religion, existed among the 
Ancients. They have begun to call Christian, the true religion which existed before.” 

—St. Augustin. 


“ Our love for what is old, our reverence for what our fathers used, makes us keep 
still in the church, and on the very altar cloths, symbols which would excite the smile of 
an Oriental , and lead him to wonder why we send missionaries to his 
ing his faith in ours.”— James Bonwick. 


la#d, while cherish- 

/Rian”"* 

UCL 


30 ]»i 
“ i -> I: 

of was'-’’^^ 


NEW YORK: 

J. W. BOUTON, 70G BROADWAY. 

1S82. 






COPYRIGHT, 

BY J. W. BOUTON, 

1882. 



* c 
< ( % 


Press or 

Henry M. Tobitt, 
90 Ann St., N. Y. 






INTRODUCTION 



The idea of publishing the work here presented did not sug- 
* ,est itself until a large portion of the material it contains had 
I accumulated for the private use and personal gratification of 
ie author. In pursuing the study of the Bible Myths, facts per¬ 
taining thereto, in a condensed form, seemed to be greatly needed, 
and nowhere to be found. Widely scattered through hundreds of 
ancient and modern volumes, most of the contents of this book 
may indeed be found ; but any previous attempt to trace exclusively 
the myths and legends of the Old and New Testament to their 
origin, published as a separate work, is not known to the writer 
of this. Many able writers have shown our so-called Sacred Scrip¬ 
tures to be unhistorical, and have pronounced them largely legend¬ 
ary, but have there left the matter, evidently aware of the great 
extent of the subject lying beyond. As Thomas Scott remarks, 
in his English Life of Jesus: “How these narratives (i. e., the 
New Testament narratives), unhistorical as they have been shown 
to be, came into existence, it is not our business to exflain ; and 
once again, at the end of the task, as at the beginning and 
throughout, we must emphatically disclaim the obligation.” To 
pursue the subject from the point at which it is abandoned by 
this and many other distinguished writers, has been the labor of 

the author of this volume for a number of years. The result of 

[iiij 




IV 


INTRODUCTION. 


tliis labor is herewith submitted to the reader, but not without a 
painful consciousness of its many imperfections. 

The work naturally begins with the Eden myth, and is fol¬ 
lowed by a consideration of the principal Old Testament 
legends, showing their universality, origin and meaning. Next 
will be found the account of the birth of Christ Jesus, with his 
history until the close of his life upon earth, showing, in con¬ 
nection therewith, the universality of the myth of the Virgin- 
born, Crucified and Resurrected Saviour. 

Before showing the origin and meaning of the myth (which 
is done in Chapter XXXIX.), we have considered the Miracles 
of Christ Jesus , the Eucharist , Baptism , the Worship of the 
Virgin , Christian Symbols , the Birthday of Christ Jesus , the 
Doctrine of the Trinity , Why Christianity Prospered , and the 
Antiguity of Pagan Religions , besides making a comparison of 
the legendary histories of Crishna and Jesus , and Buddha and 
Jesus. The concluding chapter relates to the cpiestion, What do 
we really know about Jesus? 

In the words of Prof. Max Muller ( The Science of Re¬ 
ligion, p. 11): “ A comparison of all the religions of the world, 
in which none can claim a privileged position, will no doubt 
seem to many dangerous and reprehensible, because ignoring that 
peculiar reverence which everybody, down to the mere fetish 
worshiper, feels for his own religion, and for his own god. Let 
me say, then, at once, that I myself have shared these misgivings, 
but that I have tried to overcome them, because I would not and 
could not allow myself to surrender either w T hat I hold to be the 
truth, or what I hold still dearer than truth, the right of testing 
truth. Nor do I regret it. I do not say that the Science of Re¬ 
ligion is all gain. No, it entails losses, and losses of many 
things which we hold dear. But this I will say, that, as far as 
my humble judgment goes, it does not entail the loss of anything 
that is essential to true religion , and that, if we strike the 
balance honestly, the gain is immeasurably greater than the loss.” 


INTRODUCTION. 


V 


“ All trutli is safe, and nothing else is safe ; and he who keeps 
back the truth, or withholds it from men, from motives of expe¬ 
diency, is either a coward or a criminal, or both.” 

But little beyond the arrangement of this work is claimed as 
original. Ideas, phrases, and even whole paragraphs have been 
taken from the writings of others, and in most, if not in all cases, 
acknowledged; but with the thought in mind of the many hours 
of research this book may save the student in this particular line 
of study; with the consciousness of having done for others that 
which I would have been thankful to have found done for myself; 
and more than all, with the hope that it may in some way help to 
hasten the day when the mist of superstition shall be dispelled by 
the light of reason ; with all its defects, it is most cheerfully com¬ 
mitted to its fate by the author. 

Boston, Mass., November, 1882. 






* 




























' 




























































‘ 









CONTENTS. 


PART L 

PAGE 

Introduction . iii 

List of Authorities, and Books Quoted from . xi 

CHAPTER I. 

The Creation and Fall of Man. 1 

CHAPTER II. 

The Deluge. 19 

CHAPTER III. 

The Tower of Babel. 33 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Trial of Abraham’s Faith. 38 

CHAPTER V. 

Jacob’s Vision of the Ladder. 42 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Exodus from Egypt. 48 

CHAPTER VII. 

Receiving the Ten Commandments. 58 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Samson and his Exploits. 62 

• • 

VII 













V11L 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER IX. 

Jonah Swalloaved by a Big Fish. ^ 

CHAPTER X. 

Circumcision. 85 

CHAPTER XI. 

Conclusion of Part First. . 88 


PART II. 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Miraculous Birth of Christ Jesus . Ill 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Star of Bethlehem... 140 

CHAPTER XIV. 

The Song of the Heavenly Host. 147 

CHAPTER XV. 

TnE Divine Child Recognized, and Presented with Gifts. 150 

CHAPTER XVI. 

TnE Birth-place of Christ Jesus. 154 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Genealogy of Christ Jesus. 160 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Slaughter of the Innocents. 165 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The Temptation, and Fast of Forty Days. 175 

CHAPTER XX. 

The Crucifixion of Christ Jesus. 181 

CHAPTER XXI. 

The Darkness at the Crucifixion. 206 
















CONTENTS. 


IX 


PAGE 

CHxVPTER XXII. 

“ He Descended into Hell.”. 211 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Tiie Resurrection and Ascension of Ciirist Jesus. 215 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

The Second Coming of Christ Jesus, and tiie Millennium. 233 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Christ Jesus as Judge of the Dead... 244 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

CnRiST Jesus as Creator, and Alpha and Omega. 247 

« 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

TnE Miracles of Christ Jesus, and the Primitive Christians. 278 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

CnRiST CRisnNA and CnRiST Jesus.252 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Christ Buddha and Christ Jesus. 289 

CHAPTER XXX. 

TnE Eucharist or Lord’s Supper. 305 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Baptism. 316 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

The Worship of the Virgin Mother. 326 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Christian Symbols. 339 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

TnE Birth-day of Christ Jesus. 359 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

The Trinity. 3(58 
















X 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Paganism in Christianity.•. 384 

% 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Why Christianity Prospered. 419 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

The Antiquity of Pagan Religions.450 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Explanation. 466 

CHAPTER XL. 

Conclusion. 508 


Appendix 


533 









LIST 


OF 

AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED 

IN THIS WORK. 


Abbott (Lyman) .A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge, for Popular an(l 

Professional Use; comprising full information on Bibli¬ 
cal, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Subjects. Edited 
by Rev. Lyman Abbott, assisted by Rev. T. J. Conant, 
D. D. New York: Harper & Bros., 1880. 

Acosta (Rev. Joseph De). .. .The Natural and Moral History of the Indies, by Father 

Joseph De Acosta. Translated by Edward Grimston. 
London: 1604. 

HSschylus .The Poems of AEschylus. Translated by the Rev. R. 

Potter, M. A. New York: Harper & Bros., 1836. 

Allen (Rev. D. 0.).India, Ancient and Modern, by David 0. Allen, D. D., 

Missionary of the American Board for twenty-five years 
in India. London: Trtibner & Co., 1856. 

Amberly (Viscount) .An Analysis of Religious Belief, by Viscount Amberly, 

from the late London Edition. New York : D. M. Ben¬ 
nett, 18*79. 

Asiatic Researches .Asiatic Researches, or Transactions of the Society insti¬ 

tuted in Bengal, for inquiring in the History and An¬ 
tiquities, the Arts, Sciences, and Literature of Asia. 
London: J. Swain, 1801. 

Baring-Gould (Rev. S.).Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, by Rev. S. Baring- 

Gould, M. A. Boston: Roberts Bros., 1880. 

. .Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets, and other Old 

Testament Characters, from various sources, by Rev. S. 
Baring-Gould, M. A. New York: Holt & Williams, 
18*72. 

. .The Origin and Development of Religious Belief, by S. 

Baring-Gould, M. A., in 2 vols. New York: D. Apple- 
ton & Co., 18*70. 


XI 












Xll 


AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


Barnabas .The General Epistle of Barnabas, a companion and fel¬ 

low-preacher with Paul. 

Barnes (Albert) .Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels, by 

Rev. Albert Barnes, in 2 vols. New York : Harper & 
Bros., 1860. 

Beal (Samuel). ....The Romantic Legend of Sakya Buddha, from the Chi¬ 

nese Sanscrit (being a translation of the Fo-pen-hing), 
by Samuel Beal. London: Trubner & Co., 1875. 

Bell (J.).Bell’s New Pantheon, or Historical Dictionary of the 

Gods, Demi-Gods, Heroes, and Fabulous Personages of 
Antiquity ; also of the Images and Idols, adored in the 
Pagan World, together with their Temples, Priests, Al¬ 
tars, Oracles, Fasts, Festivals, &c., in 2 vols. London : 
J. Bell, 1790. 

Bhagavat-Geeta .The Bhagavat-Geeta, or Dialogues of Crishna and Arjoon, 

in 18 Lectures, with notes. Translated from the orig¬ 
inal Sanscrit by Charles Wilkes. London: C. Nourse, 
1785. 

Blavatsky (II. P.).Isis Unveiled : A Master Key to the Mysteries of Ancient 

and Modern Science and Theology, by II. P. Blavatsky, 
in 2 vols. New York: J. W. Bouton, 1877. 

Bonwick (James) .Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, by James Bonwick, 

F. R. G. S. London: C. Kegan Paul & Co., 1878. 

Brinton (Daniel) .The Myths of the New World: A Treatise on the Symbol¬ 

ism and Mythology of the Red Race of America, by Dan¬ 
iel Brinton, A. M., M. D. New York : L. Holt & Co., 1868. 

Britannica (Encyclo.) .The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ninth Edition. 

Buckley (T. A.).The Great Cities of the Ancient World, in their Glory 

and their Desolation, by Theodore A. Buckley, M. A. 
London: G. Routledge & Co., 1852. 

Bulfincii (Thomas). ... .... .The Age of Fable, or Beauties of Mythology, by Thomas 

Bulfinch. Boston : J. E. Tilton & Co., 1870. 

Bunce (John T.)......Fairy Tales: Their Origin and Meaning, with some ac¬ 

count of Dwellers in Fairy-land, by John Thackary 
Bunce. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1878. 

Bunsen (Ernest de) ... .The Keys of St. Peter, or the House of Rocliab, connect¬ 

ed with the History of Symbolism and Idolatry, by Er¬ 
nest de Bunsen. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 
1867. 

. .. .The Angel-Messiah of Buddhists, Essenes, and Christians, 

by Ernest de Bunsen. London: Longmans, Green & 
Co., 1880. 

. .The Chronology of the Bible, connected with contempo¬ 
raneous events in the history of Babylonians, Assyrians, 
and Egyptians, by Ernest de Bunsen. London: Long¬ 
mans, Green & Co., 1874. 



















AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


Xlil 


Calmet .Calmet’s Dictionary of tlie Iloly Bible (Taylor’s). Lon¬ 

don: 1798. 

Chadwick (J. W.).The Bible of To-day : A Course of Lectures by John W. 


Chadwick, Minister of the Second Unitarian Church in 
Brooklyn, N. Y. New York: G. P. Putnam & Sons, 
1878. 


Chambers .Chambers’ Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of Universal 

Knowledge for the People. American Revised Edition. 
Philadelphia: J. Lippincott & Co., 1877. 

Champollion (M.).Precis du systeme Hieroglypliique des Anciens ISgyptiens 


, ou recherches sur les emmens premiers dec ette ecri- 

ture sacree, &c., par M. Champollion Le Jeune. Seconde 
Edit. Paris: 1828. 

Child (L. M.).The Progress of Religious Ideas through Successive Ages, 

by L. Maria Child, in 3 vols. New York : C. S. Francis 
& Co., 1855. 

Clement .The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. 


Colenso (Rev. J. W.).The Pentateuch and Book of Joshua critically examined, 

by the Right Rev. John William Colenso, D. D., Bishop 
of Natal. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1863. 

. .Lectures on the Pentateuch and Moabite Stone, by the 

Right Rev. John William Colenso, D. D., Bishop of 
Natal. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1873. 

Constantine (The Emperor). .The Emperor Constantine’s Oration to the Holy Congre¬ 


gation of the Clergy. London: Thos. Coates, 1637. 

Conway (M. D.).The Sacred Anthology: A Book of Ethnical Scriptures, 

collated and edited by Moncure D. Conway. London: 
Triibner & Co., 1874. 

Cory .Cory’s Ancient Fragments of the Phenician, Carthage- 

nian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and other Authors. A 
new and enlarged edition, carefully revised by E. Rich¬ 
ard Hodges, M. C. P. London: Reeves & Turner, 1876. 


Coulanges (F. de) .The Ancient City: A Study on the Religion, Laws, and 

Institutions of Greece and Rome, by Fustel de Cou¬ 
langes. Translated from the latest French Edition by 
Williard Small. Boston: Lee & Shepherd, 1874. 

Cox (Rev. G. W.).The Myths of the Aryan Nations, by George AY. Cox, M. 

A., late Scholar of Trinity, Oxford, in 2 vols. London: 
Longmans, Green & Co., 1870. 

. .Tales of Ancient Greece, by Rev. George W. Cox, M. A., 

Bart. London: C. Kegan Paul & Co., 1880. 

Darwin (Charles) .Journal of Researches into the Natural History and 

Geology of the Countries visited during the Voyage of 
H. M. S. Beagle Round the World, by Charles Darwin, 
M. A., F. R. S. 2d Edit. London: John Murray, 1845. 
. .The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, by 


















XIV 


AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


Charles Darwin, M. A. New York: D. Appleton & 
Co., 1876. 

Davies (Edward) .The Myths and Rites of the British Druids compared 

with Customs and Traditions of Heathen Nations, by 
Edward Davies, Rector of Brampton. London: J. 
Booth, 1809. 

Davis (J.F.),....The Chinese: A General Description of the Empire of 

China and its Inhabitants, by John Francis Davis, Esq. 
F. R. S., in 2 vols. New York: Harper Bros., 1836. 

Delitch (F.).See Keil (C. F.). 

Dillaway (C. K.).Roman Antiquities and Ancient Mythology, by Charles 

K. Dillaway. Boston: Gould, Kendall & Lincoln, 1840. 

Draper (J. W.)..History of the Conflict betwren Religion and Science, by 

John W. Draper, M. D. 8th Edit. New York: D. Ap¬ 
pleton & Co., 1876. 

Dunlap (S. F.).Vestiges of the Spirit History of Man, by S. F. Dunlap, 


Member of the American Oriental Soc., New Haven. 
New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1858. 

. .The Mysteries of Adoni, by S. *F. Dunlap. London: 

Williams & Northgate, 1861. 

. . Sod, the Son of the Man, by S. F. Dunlap. London: Will¬ 
iams & Northgate, 1861. 

Dupuis .The Origin of all Religious Worship, translated from the 

French of Mons. Dupuis. New Orleans: 1872. 

Eusebius .The Life of Constantine, in Four Books, by Eusebius 

Pamphilius, Bishop of Cesarea. London: Thomas 
Coates, 1637. 

..The Ancient Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphi¬ 
lius, Bishop of Cesarea in Palestine, in Ten Books. 
London: George Miller, 1636. 


Farrar (F. W.).The Life of Christ, by Frederick W. Farrar, D. D., F. R. 

S., late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Albany ; 
Rufus Wendell, 1876. 

Fergusson (James) .Tree and Serpent Worship, or Illustrations of Mythology 

and Art in India,by James Fergusson. London; 1868. 
Fiske (John) .Myths and Myth-Makers ; Old Tales and Superstitions In¬ 

terpreted by Comparative Mythology, by John Fiske, 
M. A., LL. B., Harvard University. Boston: J. R. 
Osgood & Co., 1877. 


Frothingham (0. B.).The Cradle of the Christ: A Study in Primitive Christian¬ 


ity, by Octavius Brooks Frothingham. New York: G. 
P. Putnam & Sons, 1877. 

Gaugooly (J. C.).Life and Religion of the Hindoos, by Joguth Chunder 

Gaugooly. Boston: Crosby, Nichols & Co., 1860. 

Geikie (C.).The Life and Words of Christ, by Cunningham Geikie, 

D. D., in 2 vols. New York : D. Appleton & Co., 1880. 





















AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


XV 


Gerbet (L’Abbe) .The Lily of Israel, or the Life of the Blessed Virgin 

Mary, Mother of God. From the French of the Abbe 
Gerbet. New York : P. J. Kennedy, 1878. 

Gibbon (Edward) .The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Em¬ 

pire, by Edward Gibbon, Esq., in 6 vols. Philadelphia: 
Claxton, Remsen & Hotfelfinger, 1876. 

Giles .Hebrew and Christian Records: An Historical Enquiry 


concerning the Age and Authorship of the Old and 
New Testaments, by the Rev. Dr. Giles, in 2 vols. Lon¬ 
don : Triibner & Co., 1877. 


Ginsburgh (C. D.).TheEssenes: Their History and Doctrines; an Essay, by 

Charles D. Ginsburgh. London: Longman, Green, Rob¬ 
erts & Green, 1864. 

Goldzhier (I.).Mythology among the Hebrews, and its Historical Devel- 

f opment, by Ignaz Goldzhier, Ph. D., Member of the 


Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Translated from the 
German by Russel Martineau. London: Longmans, 
Green & Co., 1877. 


Gori .Etrurische Alterthtimer. Miirnburg: G. Lichtensleger, 

1770. 

Greg (W. R.).The Creed of Christendom: Its Foundations contrasted 

with its Superstructure, by William Rathbone Greg. 
Detroit: Rose-Belford Pub. Co., 1878. 

Gross (J. B.).The Heathen Religion in its Popular and Symbolical De¬ 

velopment, by Rev. Joseph B. Gross. Boston; J. P. 
Jewett & Co., 1856. 

Gutzlaff .The Journal of Two Voyages along the Coast of China 


(in 1831-2), and Remarks on the Policy, Religion, &c., 
of China, by the Rev. Mr. Gutzlaff. New York: John 
P. Haven, 1833. 

Hardy (R. S.). ...The Legends and Theories of the Buddhists compared 

with History and Science, with Introductory Notices of 
the Life of Gautama Buddha, by R. Spence Hardy, 
Hon. M. R. A. S. London : Williams & Northgate, 1866. 

. .Eastern Monachism: An Account of the Origin, Laws, 

Discipline, &c., of the Order of Mendicants founded by 
Gautama Buddha, by R. Spence Hardy. London: 
Williams & Northgate, 1860. 

..A Manual of Buddhism in its Modern Development 

Translated from the Singalese MSS. by R. S. Hardy. 
London: Williams & Northgate, 1860. 


Hermas .The First Book of Hermas, Brother of Pius, Bishop of 

Rome, which is called his Vision. 

Herodotus .The History of Herodotus, the Greek Historian: A New 

and Literal Version, from the Text of Baehr, by Henry 
Cary, M. A. New York; Harper & Bros., 1871. 


















XVI 


AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


Higgins (Godfrey) .The Celtic Druids, by Godfrey Iliggins, Esq., F. R. A. S. 

London: Hunter k Co., 1827. 

. .Anacalypsis: An Enquiry into the Origin of Languages, 

Nations, and Religions, by Godfrey Higgins, Esq., F. R. 
S., F. R. A. S., in 2 vols. London: Longman, Rees 
Orne, Brown & Longman. 


Hooyicaas (I.).See Oort (H.). 

Hue (L’Abbe) .Christianity in China, Tartary and Thibet, by M. L’Abbe 

Hue, formerly Missionary Apostolic in China, in 2 vols. 
London : Longman, Brown k Co., 1857. 

Humboldt (A. de) .Researches concerning the Institutions and Monuments of 


the Ancient Inhabitants of Mexico, by Alexander de 
Humboldt, in 2 vols. (Translated by Helen Maria 
Williams.) London: Longman, Rees k Co., 1814. 

Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain, by Alex¬ 
ander de Humboldt, in 2 vols. (Translated by John 
Black.) London: Longman, Hurst k Co., 1822. 


IIume (David) .Essays and Treaties on Various Subjects, by David Hume 

(author of Hume’s History of England). Boston: 
From the London Edit. J. P. Mendum. 

Huxley (T. II.).Evidence as to Man’s Place in Nature,-by Thomas H. 

Huxley, F. R. S., F. L. S. New York: D. Appleton k 
Co., 1873. 

Ignatius .The Epistle of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch in Syria, to 

the Ephesians. 

..The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians. 

. .The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians. 

. .The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians. 


Infancy (Aroc.).The Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ (Apocryphal). 

Inman (Thomas) .Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism Exposed 


and Explained, by Thomas Inman, M. D., Physician to 
•the Royal Infirmary, kc. London: 1869. 

. .Ancient Faiths Embodied in Ancient Names, or An At¬ 
tempt to Trace the Religious Belief, Sacred Rites, and 
Holy Emblems of certain Nations, by Thomas Inman, 
M. D. London; Trubner k Co., 1872. 

. .Ancient Faiths and Modern : A Dissertation upon Wor¬ 
ship, Legends, and Divinities in Central and Western 
Asia, Europe, and Elsewhere, before the Christian Era, 
by Thomas Inman, M. D. London: Trubner k Co. 
1876. 

Jameson .The History of Our Lord as Exemplified in Works of 

Art; commenced by the late Mrs. Jameson, continued 
and completed by Lady Eastlake, in 2 vols. London : 
Longmans, Green k Co., 1864. 

The Rosicrucians: Their Rites and Mysteries. Second 


Jennings (H.) 



























AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


xvli 


Edit, revised by Hargrave Jennings. London: Catto 
& Windus, 18T9. 

Johnson (Samuel) .Oriental Religions, and their Relation to Universal Re¬ 

ligion (India), by Samuel Johnson. Boston: J. R. Os¬ 
good, 18T2. 

Josephus (Flavius) .Antiquities of the Jews, in Twenty Books, by Flavius 


Josephus, the learned and authentic Jewish Historian 
and celebrated Warrior. Translated by William Whis- 
ton, A. M. Baltimore: Armstrong & Berry, 1839. 

The Wars of the Jews, or the History of the Destruction 
of Jerusalem, in Seven Books, by Flavius Josephus. 
Baltimore: 1839. 

Flavius Josephus Against Apion, in Two Books. Balti¬ 
more: 1839. 


Keightley (T.).The Mythology of Ancient Greece and Italy, by Thomas 

Keightley. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1843. 

Keil (C. F.).Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, by C. F. Keil, 


D. D., and F. Deliteh, D. D., Professors in Theology, in 
3 vols. Translated from the German by Rev. James 
Martin, B. A. Edinboro’: T. & T. Clarke, 1872. 


Kenrick (J.).Ancient Egypt under the Pharaohs, by John Kenrick, M. 

A., in 2 vols. London: B. Fellows, 1850. 

King (C. W.).The Gnostics and their Remains, Ancient and Mediaeval, 

by C. W. King, M. A., Fellow of Trinity College, Cam¬ 
bridge. London: Bell & Dudley, 1864. 

Kingsborough (Lord) .Antiquities of Mexico, comprising Fac-similes of Ancient 


Mexican Paintings and Hieroglyphics, preserved in the 
Royal Libraries of Paris, Berlin, and Dresden, in the 
Imperial Library of Vienna, &c., &c., together with the 
Monuments of New Spain, by Lord Kingsborough, in 
7 vols. London: Robert Havill & Coyglen, Son & 
Co., 1831. 


Knappep.t (J.).The Religion of Israel, a Manual: Translated from the 

Dutch of J. Knappert, pastor at Leiden, by Richard A. 
Armstrong, B. A. Boston : Roberts Bros., 1878. 
Knight (R. P.).The Symbolical Language of Ancient Art and Mythology. 


An Enquiry, by Richard Payne Knight, author of “ The 
Worship of Priapus,” &c. A new Edit, with Introduc¬ 
tion, Notes and Additions, by Alexander Wilder, M. D. 
New York: J. W. Bouton, 1876. • 

Koran .The Koran, commonly called the A1 Coran of Mohammed; 

translated into English immediately from the original 
Arabic, by Geo. Sale, Gent. 

Kunen (A.).See Oort(H.). 

Lardner (N.).The Works of Nathaniel Lardner, D. D., with a Life, by 

Dr. Kipps, in 10 vols. London: Wm. Ball, 1838. 


B 


















xviii AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 

Leland (Chas. G.) .Fusang: or the Discovery of America by Buddhist Priests 

in the 5th Century, by Chas. G. Leland. London: 
Triibner & Co., 1875. 

Lillie (Arthur) .Buddha and Early Buddhism, by Arthur Lillie. London: 

Trubner & Co., 1881. 

Lubbock (John) .Pre-historic Times, as Illustrated by Ancient Remains, and 


the Manners and Customs of Modern Savages, by Sir 
John Lubbock, F. R. S. London: Williams & North- 
gate, 1865. 

Lundy (J. P.).Monumental Christianity, or the Art and Symbolism of tho 

Primitive Church as Witness and Teachers of the One 
Catholic Faith and Practice, by John P. Lundy, Presby¬ 
ter. New York : J. W. Bouton, 1876. 

Mahaffy (J. P.).Prolegomena to Ancient History, by John P. Mahaffy, A. 

M., M. R. I. A., Fellow and Tutor in Trinity College, 
and Lecturer in Ancient History in the University of 
Dublin. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1871. 

Mallet .Northern Antiquities; or an Historical Account of the 

Manners, Customs, Religion and Laws of the Ancient 
Scandinavians, by M. Mallet. Translated from the 
French by Bishop Percy. London : H. S. Bohn, 1847. 


Marsh (Herbert) .A Course of Lectures, containing a Description and Syste¬ 

matic Arrangement of the several Branches of Divinity 
by Herbert Marsh, D.D. Cambridge : W. Hi’,lard, 1812. 

Mary (Aroc.).The Gospel of the Birth of Mary, attributed to St. Mat¬ 

thew, Translated from the Works of St. Jerome. 

Maurice (Thomas) .Indian Antiquities : or Dissertations on the Geographical 


Division, Theology, Laws, Government and Literature 
of Hindostan, compared with those of Persia, Egvp- 
and Greece, by Thomas Maurice, in 6 vols. London: 
W. Richardson, 1794. 

. .The History of Hindostan; Its Arts and its Sciences, as 

connected with the History of the other Great Empires 
of Asia, during the most Ancient Periods of the World, 
in 2 vols., by Thomas Maurice. London: Printed by 
II. L. Galabin, 1798. 

Maurice (F. D.).The Religions of the World, and Their Relation to Christi¬ 

anity, by Frederick Denison Maurice, M. A., Professor 
of Divinity in Kings’ College. London: J. W. Parker, 
1847. 

Middleton (C.).The Miscellaneous Works of Conyers Middleton, D. D., 

. Principal Librarian of the University of Cambridge, in 
4 vols. (“ Free Enquiry ” vol. I., “ Letters from Rome ” 
vol. III.). London: Richard Manby, 1752. 

Montfaucon (B.).L’Antiquite Expliquee ; par Dorn Bernard de Montfaucon. 

Second edit. Paris : 1722, 















AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


XIX 


Moor (Edward) .Plates illustrating the Hindoo Pantheon, reprinted from 

the work of Major Edward Moor, F. R. S., edited by 
Rev. Allen Moor, M. A. London: Williams k Nor- 
gate, 1816. 

Morton (S. G.).Types of Mankind: or Ethnological Researches based 

upon the Ancient Monuments, Paintings, Sculptures, 
and Crania of Races, by Samuel George Morton, M. D. 
Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1854. 

Muller (Max). .............A History of Ancient Sanscrit Literature, so far as it il¬ 
lustrates the Primitive Religion of the Brahmins, by 
Max Muller, M. A. London: Williams k Norgate, 
1860. 

. .Introduction to the Science of Religion: Four Lectures de¬ 
livered at the Royal Institution, with Two Essays on 
False Analogies, and the Philosophy of Mythology, by 
(F.) Max Muller, M. A. London: Longmans, Green k 
Co., 1873. 

. .Chips from a German Workshop ; by Max Muller, M. A., 

in 3 vols. London: Longmans, Green k Co., 1876. 

. .Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion, as Illus¬ 


trated by the Religions of India. Delivered in the 
Chapel House, Westminster Abbey, by (F.) Max Muller, 
M. A. London: Longmans, Green k Co., 1878. 

Murray (A. S.).Manual of Mythology, by Alexander S. Murray, Depart¬ 

ment of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum, 
2d Edit. New York : Armstrong k Co., 1876. 

Nicodemus (Apoc.) .The Gospel of Nicodemus the Disciple, concerning the 

Sufferings and Resurrection of Our Master and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. 

Oort (H.).The Bible for Learners, by Dr. H. Oort, Prof, of Oriental 


Languages, &c., at Amsterdam, and Dr. I. Ilooykaas, 
pastor at Rotterdam, with the assistance of Dr. A. Kunen, 
Prof, of Theology at Leiden, in 3 vols. Translated 
from the Dutch by Philip A. Wieksteed, M. A. Boston: 
Roberts Bros., 1878. 


Orton (James). ..The Andes and the Amazon; or Across the Continent of 

South America, by James Orton, M. A., 3d Edit. New 
York : Harper k Bros., 1876. 

Owen (Richard) .Man’s Earliest History, an Address delivered before the 


International Congress of Orientalists, by Prof. Richard 
Owen. Tribune Extra, No. 23. New York Tribune 
Pub. Co., 1874. 

Peschel (Oscar) .The Races of Man, and their Geographical Distribution 

from the German of Oscar Peschel. New York: D. 
Appleton k Co., 1876. 

















XX 


AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


Polycarp .The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, translated by 

Archbishop Wake. 

Porter (Sir R. K.).Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, Ancient Babylonia, 

&c., by Sir Robert Kir Porter, in 2 vols. London: 
Longmans, Hurst, Rees, Orm & Brown, 1821. 


Prescott (Wm. H.).History of the Conquest of Mexico, with a preliminary 

view of the Ancient Mexican Civilization, and the life 
of the conqueror, Hernando Cortez, by Wm. H. Prescott, 
in 3 vols. Philadelphia: J. P. Lippincott & Co., 1873. 

Prichard (J. C.).An Analysis of the Historical Records of Ancient Egypt, 

by J. C. Prichard, M. D., F. R. S. London: Sherwood, 
Gilbert & Piper, 1838. 

. .An Analysis of Egyptian Mythology, and the Philosophy 

of the Ancient Egyptians, compared with those of the 
Indians and others, by J. C. Prichard, M. D., F. R. S. 
London: Sherwood, Gilbert & Piper, 1838. 

Priestley (Joseph) .A Comparison of the Institutions of Moses with those of 

the Hindoos and other Ancient Nations, by Joseph Priest¬ 
ley, LL. D., F. R. S. Northumberland : A. Kennedy, 
1799. 

Protevangelion Apoc .The Protevangelion, or, An Historical Account of the 

Birth of Christ, and the perpetual Virgin Mary, His 
Mother, by James the Lesser, Cousin and Brother to the 
Lord Jesus. 

Reber (Geo.) .The Christ of Paul, or the Enigmas of Christianity, by 

Geo. Reber. New York: C. P. Somerby, 1876. 

IIenan (Ernest) .Lectures on the Influence of the Institutions, Thought 

and Culture of Rome on Christianity, and the Develop¬ 
ment of the Catholic Church, by Ernest Renan, of the 
French Academy. Translated by Charles Beard, B. A. 
London: Williams & Norgate, 1880. 


Renouf (P. Le Page) .Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illus- 

. trated by the Religion of Ancient Egypt, by P. Le Page 
Renouf. London: Williams & Norgate, 18S0. 

Reville (Albert) .History of the Dogma of the Deity of Jesus Christ, by 

Albert Reville. London: Williams & Norgate, 1870. 
Rhys-Davids (T. W.).Buddhism : Being a Sketch of the Life and Teachings of 


Gautama, the Buddha, by T. W. Rhys-Davids, of the 
Middle Temple, Barrister-at-Law, and late of the Cey¬ 
lon Civil Service. London: Soc. for Promoting Chris¬ 
tian Knowledge. 

Scott (TnoMAs).The English Life of Jesus, by Thomas Scott. Published 

by the Author. London: 1872. 

Septchenes (M. Le Clercde). .The Religion of the Ancient Greeks, Illustrated by an 

Explanation of their Mythology. Translated from the 
French of M. Le Clerc de Septchenes. London: 1788. 















AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


XXL 


Sharpe (Samuel) .Egyptian Mythology and Egyptian Christianity, with their 

Influence on the Opinions of Modern Christendom, by 
Samuel Sharpe. London: J. R. Smith, 1863. 

Siiih-King (The) .The Shih-King, or Book of Poetry. Translated from the 

Chinese by James Legge. London: Macmillan & Co., 
1879. 

Shobeil (F.).Persia ; containing a description of the Country, with an 

account of its Government, Laws, and Religion, by 
Frederick Shobeil. Philadelphia: John Grigg, 1828. 

^ MITH .Smith’s Comprehensive Dictionary of the Bible, with 


many important Additions and Improvements. Edited 
by Rev. Samuel Barnum. New York: D. Appleton & 
Co., 1879. 

Smith (George) .Assyrian Discoveries: An account of Explorations and 

Discoveries on the Site of Nineveh during 1873 and 
1874, by George Smith, of the Department of Oriental 
Antiquity, British Museum. New York: Scribner, 
Armstrong & Co., 1875. 

. .The Chaldean Account of Genesis; containing the de¬ 
scription of the Creation, the Fall of Man, the Deluge, 
the Tower of Babel, the Times of the Patriarchs and 
Nimrod; Babylonian Fables, and Legends of the Gods, 
from the Cuneiform Inscriptions, by George Smith, of 
the British Museum. New York : Scribner, Armstrong 
& Co., 1876. 

Socrates .The Ancient Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholas- 

ticus, of Constantinople, in Seven Books. Translated 
out of the Greek Tongue by Meredith Hanmer, D. D. 
London: George Miller, 1636. 

Spencer (Herbert) .The Principles of Sociology, by Herbert Spencer, in 2 

vols. New York ; D. Appleton & Co., 1877. 

Squire (E. G.).The Serpent Symbol, and the Worship of the Reciprocal 

Principles of Nature in America, by E. G. Squire, A. 
M. New York : George P. Putnam, 1851. 

Stanley (A. P.).Lectures on the History of the Jewish Church, by Arthur 

P. Stanley, D. D., Dean of Westminster. New York: 
Charles Scribner, 1863. 

. .In a Sermon preached in Westminster Abbey on February 

28th, 1880, after the funeral of Sir Charles Lyell, 
entitled : “ The Religious Aspect of Geology.” 


Steinthal (H.) .The Legend of Samson: An Essay, by H. Steinthal, 

Professor of the University of Berlin. Appendix to 
Goldzhier’s Hebrew Mythology. 

Synchronology .Synchronology of the Principal Events in Sacred and 

Profane History from the Creation to the Present Time. 
Boston: S. Hawes, 1870. 
















xxu 


AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


Tacitus (C.).The Annals of Cornelius Tacitus, the Roman Historian. 

Translated by Arthur Murphy, Esq. London : Jones & 
Co., 1831. 

. .The History of Cornelius Tacitus. Translated by Arthur 

Murphy. London: Jones & Co., 1831. 

..Treatise on the Situation, Manners, and People of Ger¬ 
many, by Cornelius Tacitus. Translated by Arthur 
Murphy. London: Jones & Co., 1831. 

Taylor (Charles) .Taylor’s Fragments: Being Illustrations of the Manners, 

Incidents, and Phraseology of the Holy Scriptures. 
Intended as an Appendix to Calmet’s Dictionary of the 
Bible. London: W. Stratford, 1801. 

Taylor (Robert) .The Diegesis : Being a Discovery of the Origin, Evidences, 

and Early History of Chiristianity, by Rev. Robert Tay¬ 
lor, A. B. (From the London Edit.) Boston: J. P. 
Mendum, 1873. 

. .Syntagma of the evidences of the Christian Religion, by 

Rev. Robert Taylor, A. B., with a brief Memoir of the 
Author. (From the London Edit.) Boston ; J. P. Men¬ 
dum, 1876. 


Taylor (Thomas) .Taylor’s Mysteries ; A Dissertation on the Eleusinian and 

Bacchic Mysteries, by Thomas Taylor. Amsterdam. 
Thornton (Thomas) .A History of China, from the Earliest Records to the 


Treaty with Great Britain in 1842, by Thomas Thorn¬ 
ton, Esq., Member of the R. A. S. London : William 
II. Allen & Co., 1844. 

Tylor (E. B.).Researches Into the Early History of Mankind, and the 

Development of Civilization, by Edward B. Tylor. 2d 
Edit. London: John Murray, 1870. 

. .. .Primitive Culture; Researches into the Development of 

Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, &c., by Edward B. 
Tylor, in 2 vols. London: John Murray, 1871. 

Vishnu Purana .The Vishnu Purana, A System of Hindoo Mythology and 

Tradition, Translated from the Original Sanscrit, by II. 
H. Wilson, M. A., F. R. S. London: 1840. 

Volney (C. F.).New Researches in Ancient History, Translated from the 

French of C. F. Volney, Count and Peer of France. 
(From the London Edit.) Boston: J. P. Mendum, 
1874. 

. .The Ruins ; or, Meditations on the Revolutions of Em¬ 
pires, by Count de Volney, Translated under the imme¬ 
diate inspection of the Author. (From the latest Paris 
Edit.) Boston: J. P. Mendum, 1872. 

Wake (C. S.).See Westropp. 

Westropp (H. M.) .. .. *.Ancient Symbol Worship. Influence of the Phallic Idea 

in the Religions of Antiquity, by Hodder M. Westropp 






















AUTHORS AND BOOKS QUOTED. 


XX111 


and C. S. Wake, with Appendix by Alexander Wilder, 
M. D. London: Triibner & Co., 1874. 

Williams (Monier) .Indian Wisdom; or Examples of the Religious, Philosoph¬ 

ical, and Ethnical Doctrines of the Hindoos, by Monier 
Williams, M. A., Prof, of Sanscrit in the University of 
Oxford. London: W. II. Allen, 1875. 

. .Hinduism; by Monier Williams, M. A., D. C. L., Pub¬ 
lished under the Direction of the Committee of Gen¬ 
eral Literature and Education Appointed by the Society 
for Promoting Christian Knowledge. London: 1877. 


Wisdom (Apoc.) .The Book of Wisdom, Attributed to Solomon, King of 

Israel. 

Wise (Isaac M.) .The Martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth. A Historic Treat¬ 

ise on the Last Chapters of the Gospel, by Dr. Isaac 
M. Wise. Cincinnati. 














* 










































I 
















V 

















BIBLE MYTHS 


PART I. 

THE OLD TESTAMENT. 

# 


CHAPTEE I. 

THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 

The Old Testament commences with, one of its most interest¬ 
ing myths, that of the Creation and Fall of Man. The story is 
to be found in the first three chapters of Genesis, the substance of 
which is as follows: 

After God created the “ Heavens ” and the “ Earth,” he said : 
“ Let there be light, and there w T as light,” and after calling the 
light Day, and the darkness Night, the first day’s work was ended. 

God then made the “ Firmament,” which completed the second 
day’s work. 

Then God caused the dry land to appear, which he called 
“ Earth,” and the waters he called “ Seas.” After this the earth 
was made to bring forth grass, trees, &c., which completed the 
third day’s work. 

The next things God created were the “ Sun,” 1 “ Moon ” and 


1 The idea that the sun, moon and stars 
were set in the firmament was entertained by 
most nations of antiquity, but, as strange as it 
may appear, Pythagoras, the Grecian philoso¬ 
pher, who flourished from 540 to 510 b. c.— as 
well as other Grecian philosophers—taught that 
the sun was placed in the centre of the uni¬ 
verse, with the planets roving round it in a cir¬ 


cle , thus making day and night. (See Knight’s 
Ancient Art and Mythology, p. 59, and note.) 
The Buddhists anciently taught that the uni¬ 
verse is composed of limitless systems or 
worlds, called sakwatas. 

They are scattered throughout space, and 
each sakwala has a sun and moon. (See ; 
Hardy: Buddhist Legends, pp. 80 and 87.) 





2 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ Stars/’ and after he had set them in the Firmament, the fourth 
day’s work was ended . 1 2 

After these, God created great “ whales,” and other creatures 
which inhabit the water, also “ winged fowls.” This brought the 
fifth day to a close. 

The work of creation was finally completed on the sixth day , 3 
when God made “ beasts ” of every kind, “ cattle,” “ creeping 
things,” and lastly “ man,” whom he created “ male and female,” 
in his own image . 3 

“ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 
And on the seventh 4 day God ended his work which he had made: and he rested 
on the seventh day, from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the 
seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work 
which God created and made.” 

After this information, which concludes at the third verse of 
Genesis ii., strange though it may appear, another account of the 
Creation commences, which is altogether different from the one we 
have just related. This account commences thus : 

“ These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were 
created, in the day (not days) that the Lord God made the earth and the 
heavens.” 

It then goes on to say that “ the Lord God formed man of the 
dust of the ground ,” 5 which appears to be the first thing he made. 
After planting a garden eastward in Eden , 0 the Lord God put the 
man therein, “ and out of the ground made the Lord God to grow 
every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food ; the 
Tree of Life] also in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of 


1 Origen, a Christian Father who flourished 
about a. d. 230, says: “What man of sense 
will agree with the statement that the first, 
second, and third days, in which the evening is 
named and the morning, were without sun, 
moon and stars ?” (Quoted in Mysteries of 
Adoni, p. 176.) 

2 “ The geologist reckons not by days or by 
years; the whole six thousand years, which 
were until lately looked on as the sum of the 
world’s age, are to him but as a unit of meas¬ 
urement in the long succession of past ages.” 
(Sir John Lubbock.) 

“ It is now certain that the vast epochs of 
time demanded by scientific observation are 
incompatible both with the six thousand 
years of the Mosaic chronology, and the six 
days of the Mosaic creation.” (Dean Stanley.) 

3 “ Let us make man in our own likeness.” 

was said by Ormuzd, the Persian God of Gods, 

to his word. (See Bunsen’s Angel Messiah, 
p. 104.) 


4 The number seven was sacred among al¬ 
most every nation of antiquity. (See ch. 
ii.) 

5 According to Grecian Mythology, the God 
Prometheus created men, in the image of the 
gods, out of clay (see Bulfinch: The Age of 
Fable, p. 25; and Goldzhier: Hebrew Myths, p. 
373), and the God Hephaistos Avas commanded 
by Zeus to mold of clay the figure of a maiden, 
into which Athene, the dawn-goddess, breathed 
the breath of life. This is Pandora—the gift of 
all the gods—who is presented to Epimetheus. 
(See Cox: Aryan Myths, vol. ii., p. 208.) 

6 “What man is found such an idiot, as to sup¬ 
pose that God planted trees in Paradise, in 
Eden, like a husbandman.” (Origen : quoted 
in Mysteries of Adoni, p. 176.) “ There is no 
way of preserving the literal sense of the first 
chapter of Genesis, without impiety, and attrib¬ 
uting things to God unworthy of him.” (St. 
Augustine.) 

7 “ The records about the ‘ Tree of Life ’ are 



THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 


3 


Knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to 
water the garden, and from thence it was parted, and became into 
four heads.” These four rivers were called, first Pison, second 
Gihon, third Hiddekel, and the fourth Euphrates . 1 

After the “Lord God ” had made the “Tree of Life,” and the 
“Tree of Knowledge,” he said unto the man : 

“ Of every tree of the garden thou mayest. freely eat, but of the tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eat- 
est thereof thou shall surely die ” (which, according to the story, was not the case). 
Then the Lord God, thinking that it would not be well for man to live alone, 
formed—out of the ground—“every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; 
and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them, and 'whatsoever 
Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” 

After Adam had given names to “ all cattle, and to the fowls 
of the air, and to every beast of the field,” “ the Lord God caused 
a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he (the Lord 
God) took one of his (Adam’s) ribs, and closed np the flesh instead 
thereof. 

“ And of the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he & wo¬ 
man, and brought her unto Adam.” “ And they were both naked, the man and 
his wife, and they were not ashamed.” 

After this everything is supposed to have gone harmoniously, 
until a serpent appeared before the woman 2 —who was afterwards 
called Eve—and said to her: 

“ Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden ?” 

The woman, answering the serpent, said : 

“ AVe may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the 
tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, 
lest ye die” 

Whereupon the serpent said to her: 


the sublimes! proofs of the unity and continuity 
of tradition, and of its Eastern origin. The ear¬ 
liest records of the most ancient Oriental tradi¬ 
tion refer to a ‘ Tree of Life,' which was guard¬ 
ed by spirits. The juice of the fruit of this sa¬ 
cred tree, like the tree itself, was called Soma 
in Sanscrit, and Haoma in Zend; it was re¬ 
vered as the life preserving essence.” (Bun¬ 
sen: Keys of St. Peter, p. 414 ) 

1 “ According to the Persian account of Par- 
adise,/owr great rivers came from Mount Al- 
borj; two are in the North, and two go towards 
the South. The river Arduisir nourishes the 
Tree of Immortality . the Holy Horn.” (Stiefel- 
hagen: quoted in Mysteries of Adoni p. 149.) 
“ According to the Chinese myth, the waters of 


the Garden of Paradise issue from the fountain 
of immortality, which divides itself into four ' 
rivers." (Ibid., p. 150, and Prog. Relig. Ideas, 
vol. i., p. 210.) The Hindoos call their Mount 
Meru the Paradise, out of which went four 
rivers. (Anacalypsis, vol. i., p. 357.) 

2 According to Persian legend, Arimanes, 
the Evil Spirit, by eating a certain kind of fruit, 
transformed himself into a serpent, and went 
gliding about on the earth to tempt human be¬ 
ings. His Devs entered the bodies of men and 
produced all manner of diseases. They en¬ 
tered into their minds, and incited them to 
sensuality, falsehood, slander and revenge. 
Into every department of the world they intro¬ 
duced discord and death. 




4 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“Ye shall not surely die ” (which, according to the narrative, was the truth). 

He then told her that, upon eating the fruit, their eyes would 
be opened, and that they would be as gods , knowing good from 
evil. 

The woman then looked upon the tree, and as the fruit was 
tempting, “she took of the fruit, and did eat, and gave also unto 
her husband, and he did eat.” The result was not death (as the 
Lord God had told them), but, as the serpent had said, “ the eyes 
of both were opened, and they knew they were naked, and they 
sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” 

Towards evening (i. e ., “ in the cool of the day ”), Adam and 
his wife “ heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the gar¬ 
den,” and being afraid, they hid themselves among the trees of the 
garden. The Lord God not finding Adam and his wife, said: 

“ Where art thou ?” Adam answering, said : “ I heard thy voice • 
in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid 
myself.” 

The “ Lord God ” then told Adam that he had eaten of the 
tree which he had commanded him not to eat, whereupon Adam 
said: “ The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me 
of the tree and I did eat.” 

When the “ Lord God ” spoke to the woman concerning her 
transgression, she blamed the serpent , which she said “ beguiled ’’ 
her. This sealed the serpent’s fate, for the “ Lord God ” cursed 
him and said : 

“Upon thy belly slialt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy 
life.” 1 

Unto the woman the “ Lord God ” said : 

“I will greatly multiply thy sorrow, and thy conception; in sorrow thou 
shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall 
rule over thee.” 

Unto Adam he said : 

“ Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of 
the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed 
is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. 
Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb 
of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto 
the ground, for out of it wast thou taken ,* for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou 
return. ” 


1 Inasmuch as the physical construction of 
the serpent never could admit of its moving in 
any other way, and inasmuch as it does not 
eat dust, does not the narrator of this myth 


reflect unpleasantly upon the wisdom of 
such a God as Jehovah is claimed to be, as 
well as upon the ineffectualness of his first 
curse ? 




THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 


5 


The “ Lord God ” then made coats of skin for Adam and his 
wife, with which he clothed them, after which he said: 

“Behold, the man is become as one of us, 1 to know good and evil; and now, 
lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for¬ 
ever ” (he must be sent forth from Eden). 

“ So he (the Lord God) drove out the man (and the woman); and he placed at 
the east of the garden of Eden, Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned 
every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life.” 

Thus ends the narrative. 

Before proceeding to show from whence this legend, or legends, 
had their origin, we will notice a feature which is very prominent 
in the narrative, and which cannot escape the eye of an observing 
reader, i. <g., the two different and contradictory accounts of the 
creation . 

The first of these commences at the first verse of chapter first, 
and ends at the third verse of chapter second. The second account 
commences at the fourth verse of chapter second, and continues to 
the end of the chapter. 

In speaking of these contradictory accounts of the Creation, 
Dean Stanley says : 

“It is now clear to diligent students of the Bible, that the first and second 
chapters of Genesis contain two narratives of the Creation, side by side, differing 
from each other in most every particular of time and place and order.” 2 

Bishop Colenso, in his very learned work on the Pentateuch, 
speaking on this subject, says: 

“ The following are the most noticeable points of difference between the two 
cosmogonies : 

“ 1. In the first, the earth emerges from the waters and is, therefore, saturated 
with moisture . 3 In the second, the ‘whole face of the ground’ requires to be 
moistened . 4 


1 “ Our writer unmistakably recognizes the 
existence of many gods; for he makes Yali- 
weh say: 4 See, the man has become as one op 
us, knowing good and evil;’ and so he evi¬ 
dently implies the existence of other similar 
beings, to whom he attributes immortality and 
insight into the difference between good and 
evil. Yahweh, then, was, in his eyes, the god 
of gods, indeed, but not the only god.” (Bible 
for Learners, vol. i. p. 51.) 

2 In his memorial sermon, preached in West¬ 
minster Abbey, after the funeral of Sir Charles 
Lyell. He further said in this address:— 

‘‘It is well known that when the science of 
geology first arose, it was involved in endless 

schemes of attempted reconciliation with the 
letter of Scripture. There was, there are per¬ 
haps still, two modes of reconciliation of 
Scripture and science, which have been each in 


their day attempted, and each have totally and 
deservedly failed. One is the endeavor to wrest 
the words of the Bible from their natural mean¬ 
ing, and force it to speak the language of science.'' 1 
After speaking of the earliest known example, 
which was the interpolation of the word ‘‘ not ” 
in Leviticus xi. 6, he continues : “ This is the 
earliest instance of the falsification of Scripture 
to meet the demands of science ; and it has been 
followed in later times by the various efforts 
which have been made to twist the earlier chap¬ 
ters of the book of Genesis into apparent agree 
ment with the last results of geology—represent¬ 
ing days not to be days, morning and evening 
not to be morning and evening, the deluge not 
to be the deluge, and the ark not to be the 
ark.” 

3 Gen. i. 9. 10. 

4 Gen. ii. 6. 




6 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“2. In tlie first, the birds and the beasts are created before man. 1 In the sec¬ 
ond, man is created before the birds and the beasts.' 1 

“3. In the first, ‘ all fowls that fly ’ are made out of the waters . 3 In the sec¬ 
ond ; the fowls of the air ’ are made out of the ground . 4 

“ 4. In the first, man is created in the image of God. 5 In the second, man is 
made of the dust of the ground, and merely animated with the breath of life; 
and it is only after his eating the forbidden fruit that ‘ the Lord God said, Be¬ 
hold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil. ’ 6 

“5. In the first, man is made lord of the whole earth.' 1 In the second, he is 
merely placed in the garden of Eden, ‘ to dress it and to keep it.’ 8 

“6. In the first, the man and the woman are created together, as the closing 
and completing work of the whole creation,—created also, as is evidently im¬ 
plied, in the same kind of way, to be the complement of one another, and, 
thus created, they are blessed together . 9 

“ In the second, the beasts and birds are created between the man and the ^ 
woman. First, the man is made of the dust of the ground; he is placed by him- ■ 
self in the garden, charged with a solemn command, and threatened with a curse 
if he breaks it; then the beasts and birds are made, and the man gives names to 
them, and, lastly, after all this, the woman is made out of one of his ribs, but 
merely as a helpmate for the man. 10 r 

“ The fact is, that the second account of the Creation, 11 together with the story ‘ 
of the Fall, 12 is manifestly composed by a different winter altogether from him 
who wrote the first. 13 

“ This is suggested at once by the circumstance that, throughout the first nar¬ 
rative, the Creator is always spoken of by the name Elohim (God), whereas, 
throughout the second account, as well as the story of the Fall, he is always 
called Jehovah Elohim (Lord God), except when the writer seems to abstain, for 
some reason, from placing the name Jehovah in the mouth of the serpent. 14 
This accounts naturally for the above contradictions. It would appear that, for 
some reason, the productions of two pens have been here united, without any 
reference to their inconsistencies.” 15 

Dr. Kalish, who does his utmost to maintain—as far as his 
knowledge of the truth will allow—the general historical veracity 
of this narrative, after speaking of the first account of the Crea¬ 
tion, says: 

“ But now the narrative seems not only to pause, but to go backward. The 
grand and powerful climax seems at once broken off, and a languid repetition 
appears to follow. Another cosmogony is introduced, which, to complete the perplex* 
ity, is, in many important features, in direct contradiction to the former. 

“ It would be dishonesty to conceal these difficulties. It would be weakmindedness 
and cowardice. It would be flight instead of combat. It would be an ignoble retreat, 
instead of victory. We confess there is an apparent dissonance ,” 16 


1 Gen. i. 20, 24, 26. 

2 Gen. ii. 7, 9. 

3 Gen. i. 20. 

4 Gen. ii. 19. 

5 Gen. i. 27. 

* Gen. ii. 7: iii. 22. 
» Gen. i. 28. 

• Gen. ii. 8,15. 

» Gen. i. 28. 


10 Gen. ii. 7, 8, 15, 22. 

11 Gen. ii. 4-25. 

12 Gen. iii. 

13 Gen. i. 1-ii. 3. 

14 Gen. iii. 1,3, 5. 

15 The Pentateuch Examined vol.ii pp 171 , 
173. 

18 Quoted by Bishop Colenso, in Ibid. ii. 
171. 



THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 


7 


Dr. Knappert says : 

“ The account of the Creation from the hand of the Priestly author 1 is utterly 
different from the other narrative, beginning at the fourth verse of Genesis ii. 
Here we are told that God created Heaven and Earth in six days, and rested on 
the seventh day, obviously with a view to bring out the holiness of the Sabbath 2 
in a strong light.” 3 

Now that we have seen there are two different and contra¬ 
dictory accounts of the Creation, to be found in the first two chapters 
of Genesis, we will endeavor to learn if there is sufficient reason to 
believe they are copies of more ancient legends. 

We have seen that, according to the first account , 4 * God divided 
the work of creation into six days. This idea agrees with that of 
the ancient Persians. Dr. Priestley tells us that, according to the 
Persian legend: 

“ The Supreme Being (Ormuzd) divided the work of creation into six parts; 
he created man and woman on the sixth day, and for their use all other creatures 
were made. The man was called Adama, and the woman Evah" h 

Yon Bolilen, speaking of the Persian legend of the Creation, 
also says: 

“The most intimate relationship may be observed between the myth of 
Genesis and the Zend 6 representation of the Creation.” 7 

According to accounts given by Yon Bolden, B and Dr. Mc- 
Caul , 9 the universe was created by Ormuzd in six periods of 
time, in the following order: First , the Heavens. Second , the 
Waters. Third , the Earth. Fourth , the Trees and Plants. 
Fifth , the Animals. Sixth , Man. After the Creator had finished 
his work, he rested . 10 

This account is according to the saga of the Zend in A vesta. 1 ' 
The ancient Etruscan legend, says Dr. McCaul 1 ' 4 and Delitch , :1 
is almost the same as the Persian. 

They relate that God created the world in six thousand years. 
In the first thousand he created the Heaven and Earth. In the 


1 Genesis i. 1—ii. 3. 

a The Hebrews did not keep the seventh day 
sacred (or they had neglected to keep it for a 
long time), until they came in contact with the 
Persians and other nations, who kept this day 
as a holy day, and from whom they borrowed 
it. (See Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 633, 
and vol. ii. under “Sabbath.”) 

3 Knappert: Religion of Israel, p. 186. 

< Genesis i. 1—ii. 3. 

3 Priestley, p. 39. “ The Persians denomin¬ 

ate the first man Adama." (Maurice : Hist. 

Ilindoetan, i. 360.) 


6 Zend-Avesta: The Sacred Writings of the 
Parsees. 

7 Quoted by Bishop Colenso : The Penta¬ 
teuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 113, 

B Quoted in Ibid. 

9 Aids to Faith, p. 219. 

10 “ xhe Hindoos, Plato , the Hebrews and 
others, agree that after the work of creation was 
over, the Deity changed the time of energy for 
the state of repose; he rested on the day of Sa¬ 
turn, Satar day." (Dunlap: Spirit Hist. p. 280.) 

11 Biblical Commentary, vol. i. p. 40. 

:a Aids to Faith, p. 219. 



8 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


second, tlie Firmament. In tlie third, the waters of the Earth. In 
the fourth, the Sun, Moon and Stars. In tlie fifth, the Animals 
belonging to air, water and land. In the sixth, Man alone. 

Dr. Delitch, who maintains to the utmost the historical truth of 
the Scripture story in Genesis, yet says: 

“Whence comes the surprising agreement of the Etruscan and Persian 
legends with this section ? How comes it that the Babylonian cosmogony in 
Berosus, and the Phoenician in Sanchoniathon, in spite of their fantastical oddity, 
come in contact with it in remarkable details ?” 

After showing some of the similarities in the legends of these 
different nations, he continues : 

“ These are only instances of that which they have in common. For such an 
account outside of Israel, we must, however, conclude, that the author of Genesis i. 
has no vision before him, but a tradition. ” 2 

Yon Bolilen tells us that the old Chaldcean cosmogony is also 
the same . 3 

To continue the Persian legend; we will now show that, ac¬ 
cording to it, after the Creation man was tempted, and fell . Dr. 
Priestley says: 

“The evil being (Ahriman), they (the Persians) further say, got upon the 
earth in the form of a serpent, and seduced the first human pair from their alle¬ 
giance to God.” 4 * 

Bishop Colenso also tells us of the Persian legend that:—The 
first couple lived originally in purity and innocence. Perpetual 
happiness was promised them by the Creator if they continued in 
their virtue. But an evil demon came to them in the form of a 
serpent, sent by Ahriman, the prince of devils, and gave them fruit 
of a wonderful tree, which imparted immortality. Evil inclina¬ 
tions then entered their hearts, and all their moral excellence was 
destroyed. Consequently they fell, and forfeited the eternal hap¬ 
piness for which they were destined. They killed beasts, and 
clothed themselves in their skins. The evil demon obtained still 
more perfect power over their minds, and called forth envy, hatred, 
discord, and rebellion, which raged in the bosom of the families . 1 

Since the above was written, Mr. George Smith, of the British 
Museum, has discovered cuneiform inscriptions, which show con¬ 
clusively that the Babylonians had this legend of the Creation and 


1 “ The Etruscans believed in a creation of 2 Quoted by Bishop Colenso : The Penta- 

six thousand years, and in the successive teuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 115 . 

production of different beings, the last of 3 Quoted in Ibid. p. 113. 

which was man.” (Dunlap : Spirit Hist. p. 4 Priestley, p. 37. 

857.) 6 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 152 . 






THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 


9 


Fall of Man, some 1,500 years or more before the Hebrews heard 
of it. 1 The cuneiform inscriptions relating to the Babylonian 
legend of the Creation and Fall of Man, which have been discovered 
by English archaeologists, are not, however, complete. The portions 
which relate to the Tree and Serpent have not been found, but 
Babylonian gem engravings show that these incidents were evi¬ 
dently a part of the original legend. 2 The Tree of Life in the 
Genesis account appears to correspond with the sacred grove of 
Anu, which was guarded by a sword turning to all the four points 
of the compass. 3 A 
representation of this 
Sacred Tree, with “ at¬ 
tendant cherubimf 

copied from an As¬ 
syrian cylinder, may be 
seen in Mi*. George 
Smith’s “ Chaldean 

Account of Genesis.” 4 
Figure Ho. 1, which 
we have taken from the same work, 5 shows the tree of knowl¬ 
edge, fruit, and the serpent. Mr. Smith says of it: 

“ One striking and important specimen of early type in the British Museum 
collection, has two figures sitting one on each side of a tree, holding out their 
hands to the fruit, while at the back of one (the icomari) is scratched a serpent. 
We know well that in these early sculptures none of these figures were chance 
devices, but all represented events, or supposed events, and figures in their 
legends; thus it is evident that a form of the story of the Fall, similar to that of 
Genesis, was known in early times in Babylonia.” 5 

A very striking Hindoo fable, which we copy from the work of 
Dr. Priestley, is as follows : 6 

“ The inferior gods, who have ever since the creation been multiplying them¬ 
selves, did not at first enjoy the privilege of immortality. After numerous en¬ 
deavors to procure it, they had recourse to a tree, which grew in Chorcan, or 
Paradise, and met with success, so that by eating from time to time of the fruit 
of the tree, they obtained this advantage. At length a serpent called Chien, per¬ 
ceived that the tree of life had been found out, and probably having been ap¬ 
pointed to guard it, was so exasperated at being overreached, that he poured 
out a great quantity of poison. The whole earth felt the dreadful effect of it, 



1 See Chapter xi. 

2 Mr. Smith says, “ Whatever the primitive 

account may have been from which the earlier 
part of the Book of Genesis was copied, it is 
evident that the brief narration given in the 

Pentateuch omits a number of incidents and ex- 

ianations—for instance, as to the origin of 

fil, the fall of the angels, the wickedness of 


the serpent, &c. Such points as these are in¬ 
cluded in the cuneiform narrative.” Smith: 
Chaldean Account of Genesis, pp. 13, 14. 

3 Smith: Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 88. 

4 Ibid. p. 89. 

4 Ibid, p. 91. 

6 Priestley, p. 36. See also Prog. Relig. Ideas, 
pp. 53, 54. 














10 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


and not one mortal would have escaped, had not the god Chiven taken pity- 
on the human race, revealed himself under the shape of a man, and swallowed 
the poison.” 1 

The ancient Greeks boasted of their “ Golden Age,” when 
sorrow and trouble were not known. Hesiod, an ancient Grecian 
poet, describes it thus: • 

“ Men lived like Gods, without vices or passions, vexation or toil. In happy 
companionship with divine beings, they passed their days in tranquillity and joy, 
living together in perfect equality, united by mutual confidence aud love. The 
earth was more beautiful than now, and spontaneously yielded an abundant va¬ 
riety of fruits. Human beings and animals spoke the same language and con¬ 
versed witl\ each other. Men were considered mere boys at a hundred years old. 
They had none of the infirmities of age to trouble them, and when they passed 
to regions of superior life, it was in a gentle slumber.” 

In the course of time, however, all the sorrows and troubles 
came to man. They were caused by inquisitiveness. The story is 
as follows: Epimetheus 2 received a gift from Zeus 3 (God), in the 
form of a beautiful woman (Pandora): 

“She brought with her a vase, the lid of which was (by the command of 
God), to remain closed. 4 The curiosity of her husband, however, tempted him 
to open it, 5 and suddenly there escaped from it troubles, weariness and ill¬ 
ness, from which mankind was never afterwards freed. All that remained was 
hope. ” 6 

Among the Thibetans , the paradisiacal condition was more 
complete and spiritual. The desire to eat of a certain sweet berb 
deprived men of their spiritual life. There arose a sense of shame, 
and the need to clothe themselves. Necessity compelled them to 
agriculture; the virtues disappeared, and murder, adultery, and 
other vices, stepped into their place. 7 

The idea that the Fall of the human race is connected with 
agriculture is found to be also often represented in the legends of 
the East African negroes, especially in the Calabar legend of the 
Creation, which presents many interesting points of comparison 
with the biblical story of the Fall. The first human pair are 
called by a bell at meal-times to Abasi (the Calabar God), in heaven ; 
and in place of the forbidden tree of Genesis are put agriculture 


1 According to Christian teaching, “ The 
whole earth felt the dreadful effect of it (the 
Fall of Man), and not one mortal would have 
escaped, had not the God Christ Jesus, taken 
pity on the human race, revealed himself under 
the shape of a man, and swallowed the poi¬ 
son,” i. e., suffered for their sakes, and re¬ 
deemed them. 

* Epimetheus; brother of Prometheus. 

* Zeus among the Greeks; Deus by the Ro¬ 


mans; Dieu by the French, and Deity by the 
English. 

4 This is equivalent to the command not to 
eat the fruit. 

6 Some accounts say that the woman opened 
the vase. (See Religion of the Ancient Greeks, 
p. 109, and The Age of Fable, pp. 05 05 ) 

8 Murry: Manual of Mythology, p. 208. 

7 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 
154. 



THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 


11 


and propagation, which. Abasi strictly denies to the first pair. The 
Fall is denoted by the transgression of both these commands, 
especially through the use of implements of tillage, to which the 
woman is tempted by a female friend who is given to her. From 
that moment man fell arid became mortal , so that, as the Bible 
story has it, he can cat bread only in the sweat of his face. There 
agriculture is a curse, a fall from a more perfect stage to a lower 
and imperfect one. 1 

Dr. Kalish, writing of the Garden of Eden, says: 

“ The Paradise is no exclusive feature of the early history of the Hebrews. 
Most of the ancient nations have similar narratives about a happy abode, which care 
does not approach, and which re-echoes with the sounds of the purest bliss.” 2 

The Persians supposed that a region of bliss and delight called 
Ileden , more beautiful than all the rest of the world, traversed by 
a mighty river , was the original abode of the first men, before they 
were tempted by the evil spirit in the form of a serpent , to partake 
of the fruit of the forbidden tree Horn . 3 

Dr. Delitzscli, writing of the Persian legend, observes: 

“Innumerable attendants of the Holy One keep watch against the attempts of 
Ahriman, over the tree Horn, which contains in itself the power of the resur¬ 
rection. 4 

The ancient Greeks had a tradition concerning the “ Islands of 
the Blessed,” the “ Elysium,” on the borders of the earth, abounding 
in every charm of life, and the “ Garden of the Ilesperides,” the 
Paradise, in which grew a tree bearing the golden apples of Immor¬ 
tality. It was guarded by three nymphs, and a Serpent, or Dragon, 
the ever-watchful Ladon. It was one of the labors of Hercules to 
gather some of these apples of life. When he arrived there he 
found the garden protected by a Dragon . Ancient medallions 
represent a tree with a serpent twined around it. Hercules has 
gathered an apple, and near him stand the three nymphs, called 
Hesperides. 6 This is simply a parallel of the Eden myth. 

The Bev. Mr." Faber, speaking of Hercules, says: 

“ On the Sphere he is represented in the act of contending with the Serpent, 
the head of which is placed under his foot; and this Serpent, we are told, is that 
which guarded the tree with golden fruit in the midst of the garden of the Hesper¬ 
ides. But the garden of the Hesperides was none other than the garden of Para¬ 
dise; consequently the serpent of that garden, the head of which is crushed be¬ 
neath the heel of Hercules, and which itself is described as encircling with its 


1 Goldzhier: Hebrew Mythology, p. 87. 

2 Quoted by Colenso: The Pent. Examined, 

vol. iv. p. 153. 3 Ihid. 

< Ibid. “ The fruit and sap of this 4 Tree of 


Life' begat immortality.” (Bonwick: Egyptian 
Belief, p. 240.) 

6 See Montfaucon : L’Antiquite Expliquee, 
vol. i. p. 211, and PI. cxxxiii. 





12 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


folds the trunk of the mysterious tree, must necessarily be a transcript of that 
Serpent whose form was assumed by the tempter of our first parents. We may 
observe the same ancient tradition in the Phoenician fable representing Ophion or 
Ophioneus. ” x 

And Professor Fergusson says : 

■“ Hercules' adventures in the garden of the Hesperides, is the Pagan form of 
the myth that most resembles the precious Serpent-guarded fruit of the Garden 
of Eden, though the moral of the fable is so widely different.” 1 2 

The ancient Egyptians also had the legend of the “ Tree of 
Life.” It is mentioned in their sacred books that Osiris ordered 
the names of some souls to be written on this “ Tree of Life,” the 
fruit of which made those who ate it to become as gods. 3 4 

Among the most ancient traditions of the Hindoos , is that of the 
‘ Tree of Life”—called Soma in Sanskrit—the juice of which 
imparted immortality. This most wonderful tree "was guarded by 
spirits.* 

Still more striking is the Hindoo legend of the “Elysium” or 
“ Paradise,” which is as follows : 

“In the sacred mountain Meru , which is perpetually clothed in the golden 
rays of the Sun, and whose lofty summit reaches into heaven, no sinful man 
can exist. It is guarded by a dreadful dragon. It is adorned with many celestial 
plants and trees, and is watered b y four rivers, which thence separate and flow to 
the four chief directions.” 5 

The Hindoos, like the jdiilosopliers of the Ionic school (Thales, 
for instance), held water to be the first existing and all-pervading 
principle, at the same time allowing the cO-operation and influence 
of an immaterial intelligence in the work of creation. 6 A Yedic 
poet, meditating on the Creation, uses the following expressions: 

“Nothing that is was then, even what is not, did not exist then.” “There 
was no space, no life, and lastly there was no time, no difference between day and 
night, no solar torch by which morning might have been told from evening.” 
“ Darkness there was, and all at first was veiled in gloom profound, as ocean 
without light.” 7 

The Hindoo legend approaches very nearly to that preserved in 
the Hebrew Scriptures. Thus, it is said that Siva, as the Supreme 
Being, desired to tempt Brahma (who had taken human form, and 
was called Swayambhura—son of the self-existent), and for this 
object he dropped from heaven a blossom of the sacred fig tree. 


1 Faber: Origin Pagan Idolatry, vol. i. p. 
443; in Anacalypsis, vol. i. p 237. 

2 Tree and Serpent Worship, p. 13. 

3 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 159. 

4 See Bunsen’s Keys of St. Peter, p. 414. 


6 Colenso: The Pentateuch Examined, vol. 
iv. p. 153. 

• Buckley: Cities of the Ancient World, p. 
148. 

7 Muller: Hist. Sanskrit Literature, p. 559. 








THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 


13 


S way ambh lira, instigated by bis wife, Satarupa, endeavors to ob¬ 
tain this blossom, thinking its possession will render him immortal 
and divine; but when he has succeeded in doing so, he is cursed by 
Siva, and doomed to misery and degradation. 1 2 The sacred Indian 
fig is endowed by the Brahmins and the Buddhists with mysterious 
significance, as the “ Tree of Knowledge ” or u Intelligence.” 3 

There is no Hindoo legend of the Creation similar to the Per- 
sian and Hebrew accounts, and Ceylon was never believed to have 
been the Paradise or home of our first parents, although such stories 
are in circulation. 3 The Hindoo religion states—as we have 
already seen—Mount Meru to be the Paradise, out of which went 
four rivers. 

We have noticed that the “ Gardens of Paradise ” are said to 
have been guarded by Dragons , and that, according to the Genesis 
account, it was Cherubim that protected Eden. In answer to this 
apparent difference in the legends, we will quote a recent writer on 
the subject, 4 who says : 

“ We have come in our modern times to speak of Cherub as though it were 
another name for an angel. But the Cherub of the writer of Genesis, the Cherub 
of Assyria, the Cherub of Babylon, the Cherub of the entire Orient, at the time 
(the Eden story) grew up, is not at all an angel, but an animal, and a mythologh 
cal animal at that. The Cherub had the body of a lion, sometimes the head of 
another animal, or of a man, and the wings of a bird. That is, the Cherub 
that is placed at the gate to keep the way of the tree of life, is simply a Dragon.” 

The following, from Chambers’ Encyclopoedia, corroborates the 
above statement: 

“Most Jewish writers and Christian Fathers conceived the Cherubim as 

Angela .Most theologians also considered them as Angels, until Michae- 

lis showed them to be a poetical creation. 

“ In Ezekiel they have the body of a man, whose head, besides a human 
countenance, has also that of a Lion, an Ox and an Eagle; they are provided with 
four wings .... the whole body is spangled with innumerable eyes. In the 
Revelation, four cherubim, covered with eyes and having six wings, surrounded 
the throne of Jehovah: the first has the face of a Lion, the second of an Ox, the 
third of a Man and the fourth of an Eagle.” 5 


1 See Wake: Phallism in Ancient Religions, 
pp. 46, 47 ; and Maurice: Hist. Hindostan, vol. 
i. p. 408. 

2 Hardwick : Christ and Other Masters, 
quoted by Wake, p. 47. 

3 See Jacolliot’s “Bible in India,” which 

John Fisk calls a “very discreditable perform¬ 
ance,” and “a disgraceful piece of charla¬ 

tanry ” (Myths, &c. p. 205). This writer also 
slates that according to Hindoo legend, the 
first man and woman were called “ Adima and 
Heva,” which is certainly not the case. The 


“bridge of Adima” which he speaks of as 
connecting the island of Ceylon with the main¬ 
land, is called “Rama’s bridge;” and the 
“Adam’s footprints ” are called “Buddha’s 
footprints.” The Portuguese, who called the 
mountain Pico d'Adama (Adam’s Peak), evi¬ 
dently invented these other names. (See Mau¬ 
rice’s Hist. Hindostan, vol. i. pp. 361, 362, and 
vol. ii. p. 242. 

4 Rev. M. J. Savage. 

5 Chambers’ Encyclo., Art. “Cherubim.” 
See also Smith’s Bible Dictionary. 


I 


J 





14 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


We see then, that our Cherub is simply a Dragon. 

To continue our inquiry regarding the prevalence of the Eden- 

myth among nations of antiquity. 

The Chinese have their Age of Virtue, when nature furnished 
abundant food, and man lived peacefully, surrounded by all the 
beasts. In their sacred books there is a story concerning a myste¬ 
rious garden , where grew a tree bearing “ apples of immortality,” 
guarded by a winged serpent, called a Dragon. They describe a 
primitive age of the world, when the earth yielded abundance of 
delicious fruits without cultivation, and the seasons were untroubled 
by wind and storms. There was no calamity, sickness, or death. 
Men were then good without effort; for the human heart was in 
harmony with the peacefulness and beauty of nature. 

The “ Golden Age ” of the past is much dwelt upon by their 
ancient commentators. One of them says : 

“All places were then equally the native county of every man. Flocks 
wandered in the fields without any guide; birds filled the air with their melo¬ 
dious voices; and the fruits grew of their own accord. Men lived pleasantly 
with the animals, and all creatures were members of the same family. Ignorant 
of evil, man lived in simplicity and perfect innocence.” 

Another commentator says: 

“In the first age of perfect purity, all was in harmony, and the passions did 
not occasion the slightest murmur. Man, united to sovereign reason within, 
conformed his outward actions to sovereign justice. Far from all duplicity and 
falsehood, his soul received marvelous felicity from heaven, and the purest de¬ 
lights from earth.” 

Another says: 

“ A delicious garden refreshed with zephyrs, and planted with odoriferous 
trees, was situated in the middle of a mountain, which was the avenue of heaven. 
The waters that moistened it flowed from a source called the ‘ Fountain of Im¬ 
mortality.’ He who drinks of it never dies. Thence flowed four rivers. A 
Golden River, betwixt the South and East, a Red River, between the North and 
East, the River of the Lamb between the North and West.” 

The animal Kaiming guards the entrance. 

Partly by an undue thirst for knowledge, and partly by increas¬ 
ing sensuality, and the seduction of ivoman , man fell. Then pas¬ 
sion and lust ruled in the human mind, and war with the animals 
began. In one of the Chinese sacred volumes, called the Chi-King, 

it is said that: 

» 

“All was subject to man at first, but a ivoman threw us into slavery. The wise 
husband raised up a bulwark of walls, but the woman, by an ambitious desire of 
knowledge, demolished them.. Our misery did not come from heaven, but from a 
woman . She lost the human race. Ah, unhappy Poo See ! thou kindled the fire 


THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 


15 


that consumes us, and which is every day augmenting. Our misery has lasted 
many ages. The world is lost. Vice overflows all things like a mortal poison.” 1 2 

Thus we see that the Chinese are no strangers to the doctrine of 
original sin. It is their invariable belief that man is a fallen being; 
admitted by them from time immemorial. 

The inhabitants of Madagascar had a legend similar to the 
Eden story, which is related as follows: 

“ The first man was created of the dust of the earth, and was placed in a gar¬ 
den, where he was subject to none of the ills which now affect mortality; he 
was also free from all bodily appetites, and though surrounded by delicious 
fruit and limpid streams yet felt no desire to taste of the fruit or to quaff the water 
The Creator, had, moreover, strictly forbid him either to eat or to drink. The 
great enemy, however, came to him, and painted to him, in glowing colors, the 
sweetness of the apple, and the lusciousness of the date, and the succulence 
of the orange.” 

After resisting the temptations for a while, he at last ate of the 
fruit, and consequently fell? 

A legend of the Creation, similar to the Hebrew, was found by 
Mr. Ellis among the Tahitians , and appeared in his “ Polynesian 
Researches.” It is as follows : 

After Taarao had formed the world, he created man out of arsea, 
red earth, which was also the food of man until bread was made. 
Taarao one day called for the man by name. When he came, he 
caused him to fall asleep, and while he slept, he took out one of his 
ivi, or bones, and with it made a woman, whom he gave to the man 
as his wife, and they became the progenitors of mankind. The 
woman’s name was Ivi, which signifies a bone. 3 

The prose Edda, of the ancient Scandinavians , speaks of the 
“ Golden Age ” when all was pure and harmonious. This age 
lasted until the arrival of woman out of Jotunheim—the region of 
the giants, a sort of “land of Hod”—who corrupted it. 4 

In the onnals of the Mexicans , the first woman, whose name 
was translated by the old Spanish writers, “ the woman of our flesh,” 
is always represented as accompanied by a great male serpent, who 
seems to be talking to her. Some writers believe this to be the 
tempter speaking to the primeval mother, and others that it is in¬ 
tended to represent the father of the human race. This Mexican 
Eve is represented on their monuments as the mother of twins. 4 


1 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. pp. 206-210. 
The Pentateuch Examined, vol. iv. pp. 152, 
153, and Legends of the Patriarchs, p. 38. 

2 Legends of the Patriarchs, p. 31. 

3 Quoted by Muller: The Science of Relig., 

p. 302. 


4 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, p. 
409. 

5 See Baring Gould’s Legends of the Patri¬ 
archs ; Squire’s Serpent Symbol, p. 161, and 
Wake’s Phallism in Ancient Religions, p. 

41. 






16 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Mr. Franklin, in his “Buddhists and Jeynes,’’ says: 

“A striking instance is recorded by the very intelligent traveler (Wilson), re¬ 
garding a representation of the Fall of our first parents, sculptured in the magnifi¬ 
cent temple of Ipsambul, in Nubia. He says that a very exact representation of 
Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden is to be seen in that cave, and that the 
serpent climbing round the tree is especially delineated, and the whole subject of 
the tempting of our first parents most accurately exhibited.” 1 * 

Nearly the same thing was found by Colonel Coombs in the 
South of India. Colonel Tod, in his “Hist. Kajapoutana, ” says: 


“A drawing, brought by Colonel Coombs from a sculptured column in a cave- 
temple in the South of India, represents the first pair at the foot of the ambro¬ 
sial tree, and a serpent entwined among the heavily-laden boughs, presenting to 
them some of the fruit from his mouth. The tempter appears to be at that part 
of his discourse, when 

‘-his words, replete with guile, 

Into her heart too easy entrance won: 

Fixed on the fruit she gazed.’ 


“ This is a curious subject to be engraved on an ancient Pagan temple.”* 

So the Colonel thought, no doubt, but it is not so very curious 


after all. It is 
the same myth 
which we have 
found—with but 
such small vari¬ 
ations only as 
time and circum¬ 
stances may be 
expected to pro¬ 
duce — among 
different nations, 
in both the Old 
and N ewW orlds. 

Fig. No. 2 
taken from the 
feet being, and 



work of Mont- 
faucon, 3 repre¬ 
sents one of 
these ancient 
Pagan sculp¬ 
tures. Can any 
one doubt that ft 
is allusive to the 
myth of which 
w t o have been 
treating in this 
chapter? 

That man 
was originally 
created a per- 
fallen and broken remnant 


is now only a 

of what he once was, we have seen to be a piece of mythol¬ 
ogy, not only unfounded in fact, but, beyond intelligent question, 
proved untrue. What, then, is the significance of the exposure 
of this myth? What does its loss as a scientific fact, and as a por¬ 
tion of Christian dogma, imply ? It implies that with it—although 
many Christian divines who admit this to be a legend, do not, 


1 Quoted by Higgins : Anacalypsie, vol. i. 2 Tod’s H ist. ? p 5 ^ quoted by Hig _ 

P- gins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 404. 

3 L’Antiquite Expliquee, vol. i. 

















TIIE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN. 


17 


or do not profess, to see it— must fall the whole Orthodox scheme, 
for upon this myth the theology of Christendom is built. The 
doctrine of the inspiration of the Scriptures , the Fall of man, 
his total depravity, the Incarnation , the Atonement , the devil, 
hell, in fact, the entire theology of the Christian church, falls to 
pieces with the historical inaccuracy of this story, for upon it is 
it built ‘ His the foundation of the whole structure, x 

According to Christian dogma, the Incarnation of Christ Jesus 
had become necessary, merely because he had to redeem the evil in¬ 
troduced into the world by the Fall of man. These two dogmas 
cannot be separated from each other. If there was no Fall, there 
is no need of an atonement, and no Redeemer is required. Those, 
then, who consent in recognizing in Christ Jesus a God and Re¬ 
deemer, and who, notwithstanding, cannot resolve upon admitting 
the story of the Fall of man to be historical, should exculpate them¬ 
selves from the reproach of inconsistency. There are a great 
number, however, in this position at the present day. 

Although, as we have said, many Christian divines do not, or 
do not profess to, see the force of the above argument, there are 
many who do ; and they, regardless of their scientific learning, cling 
to these old myths, professing to believe them, well knowing what 
must follow with their fall. We will give a few illustrations of 
this kind of reasoning. 

The Bishop of Manchester (England) writing in the “Man¬ 
chester Examiner and Times,” says : 

“The very foundations of our faith, the very basis of our hopes, the very nearest 
and dearest of our consolations are taken from us, when one line of that sacred 
volume, on which ice base everything , is declared to be untruthful and untrust¬ 
worthy.” 

The “ English Churchman,” speaking of clergymen who have 
“ doubts ,” says, that any who are not thoroughly persuaded “ that 
the Scriptures cannot in any particidar be untrue ,” should leave 
the Church. 

The Rev. E. Garbett, M. A., in a sermon preached before the 
University of Oxford, speaking of the “ historical truth” of the 
Bible, said: 


1 Sir William Jones, tlie first president of 
the Royal Asiatic Society, saw this when he 
said : “ Either the first eleven chapters of 
Genesis, all due allowance being made for a 
figurative Eastern style, are true , or the whole 
fabric of our religion is false.” (In Asiatic Re¬ 
searches, vol. i. p. 225.) And eo also did the 

2 


learned Thomas Maurice, for he says: “If the 
Mosaic History be indeed a fable, the whole 
fabric of the national religion is false, since 
the main pillar of Christianity rests upon that 
important original promise, that the seed of the 
woman should bruise the head of the serpent..”' 
(Hist. Hindostan, vol. i. p. 29.) 




18 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ It is the clear teaching of those doctrinal formularies, to which we of the 
Church of England have expressed our solemn assent, and no honest interpretation 
of her language can get rid of it 

And tliat: 

“In all consistent reason, we must accept the whole of the inspired autographs, or 
reject the whole. ” 

Dr. Baylee, Principal of a theological university— St. AiderCs 
College —at Birkenhead, England, and author of a “ Manual,” 
called Baylee’s “ Verbal Inspiration ,” written “ chiefly for the 
youths of St. Aiderts College ,” makes use of the following words, 
in that work: 

“The whole Bible, as a revelation, is a declaration of the mind of God towards 
his creatures on all the subjects of which the Bible treats. ” 

“ The Bible is God's word, in the same sense as if he had made use of no hu¬ 
man agent, but had Himself spoken it.” 

“ The Bible cannot be less Ilian verbally inspired. Every word, every syllable, 
every letter, is just what it would be, had God spoken from heaven without any 
human intervention.” 

“Every scientific statement is infallibly correct, all its history and narrations 
of every kind, are without any inaccuracy.’ n 

* A whole volume might be filled with such quotations, not only 
from religious works and journals published in England, but from 
those oublished in the United States of America. 1 2 


1 The above extracts are quoted by Bishop 
Coienso, in The Pentateuch Examined, vol. ii. 
pp. 10-12, from which we take them. 

2 “ Cosmogony ” is the title of a volume 
lately written by Prof. Thomas Mitchell, and 
published by the American News Co., in which 
the author attacks all the modern scientists in 


regard to the geological antiquity of the world, 
evolution, atheism, pantheism, &c. He be¬ 
lieves—and rightly too—that, “ if the account 
of Creation in Genesis falls, Christ and the 
apostles follow: if the book of Genesis is erro¬ 
neous, so also are the Gospels ,” 



CHAPTEE II 


THE DELUGE. 1 

After “ man’s shameful fall,” the earth began to be populated 
at a very rapid rate. “ The sons of God saw the daughters of men 
that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they 

chose.There were giants in the earth in those days, 2 

and also . . . mighty men . . . men of renown.” 

But these u giants ” and “ mighty men ” were very wicked, “ and 
God saw the wickedness of man . . . and it repented the Lord 

that he had made man upon the earth* and it grieved him at his 
heart. And the Lord said ; I will destroy man whom I have created 
from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping 
tiling, and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have 
made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (for) 
Noah was a just man . . . and walked with God. . . . And 

God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me, for the 
earth is filled with violence through them, and, behold, I will de- 


1 See “The Deluge in the Light of Modern 
Science,” by Prof. Wm. Denton: J. P. Men- 
dum, Boston. 

2 “There were giants in the earth in those 
days.” It is a scientific fact that most races of 
men, in former ages, instead of being larger, 
were smaller than at the present time. There 
is hardly a suit of armor in the Tower of Lon¬ 
don, or in the old castles, that is large enough 
for the average Englishman of to-day to put on. 
Man has grown in stature as well as intellect, 
and there is no proof whatever—in fact, the op¬ 
posite is certain—that there ever was a race of 
what might properly be called giants, inhabit¬ 
ing the earth. Fossil remains of large animals 

^ having been found by primitive man, and a 
legend invented to account for them, it would 
naturally be that: “ There were giants in the 
earth in those days.” As an illustration we 
may mention the story, recorded by the trav¬ 
eller James Orton, we believe (in “ The Andes 
and the Amazon”), that, near Punin, in South 
America, was found the remains of an extinct 


species of the horse, the mastodon, and other 
large animals. This discovery was made, ow¬ 
ing to the assurance of the natives that giants 
at one time had lived in that country, and that 
they had seen their remains at this certain place. 
Many legends have had a similar origin. But 
the originals of all the Ogres and Giants to be 
found in the mythology of almost all nations 
of antiquity, are the famous Hindoo demons, 
the Rakshasas of our Aryan ancestors. The 
Rakshasas were very terrible creatures indeed, 
and in the minds of many people, in India, 
are so still. Their natural form, so the sto¬ 
ries say, is that of huge, unshapely giants, like 
clouds , with hair and beard of the color of the 
red lightning. This description explains their 
origin. They are the dark , wicked and cruel 
clouds , personified. 

3 “ And it repented the Lord that he had 
made man.” (Gen. iv.) “ God is not a man 
that he should lie, neither the son of man that 
he should repent .” (Numb, xxiii, 19.) 


[19] 



20 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


stroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood, 
rooms shalt thou make in the ark, (and) a window shalt thou make 
to the ark; .... And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of 
waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of 
life, from under heaven, and every thing that is in the earth shall 
die. But with thee shall I establish my covenant; and thou shalt 
come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ 
wives, with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of 
every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with 
thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, 
and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth 
after his kind, two of every sort shall come in to thee, to keep them 
alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou 
shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee and for 
them. Thus did Noah , according to all that God commanded 
him.” 1 

When the ark w r as finished, the Lord said unto Noah : 

“ Come thou and all thy house into the ark. ... Of every clean beast 
thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female; and of beasts that are 
not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, 
the male and the female.” 2 

Here, again, as in the Eden myth, there is a contradiction. We 
have seen that the Lord told Noah to bring into the ark “ of every 
living thing, of all flesh, two of every sort” and now that the ark 
is finished, we are told that he said to him : “ Of every clean 

beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens” and, “ of fowls also of the 
air by sevens .” This is owing to the story having been written by 
two different writers —the Jehovistic, and the Elohistic—one of 
which took from, and added to the narrative of the other. 3 The 
account goes on to say, that: 

“ Noah went in, and bis sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, 
into the ark. ... Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of 
fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, there went in two and tioo, 
unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah .” 4 

We see, then, that Noah took into the ark of all hinds of 
beasts, of fowls , and of every thing that creepeth, two of every sort , 
and that this was “ as God had commanded Noah.” This clearly 
shows that the writer of these words knew nothing of the command 


1 Gen. iv. 2 Gen. v i. i_ 3 , 

3 See chapter xi. 

4 The image of Osiris of Egypt was by the 
priests shut up in a sacred ark on the 17th of 


Athyr (Nov. 13th), the very day and month on 
which Noah is said to have entered his ark. 
(See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 1G5, and 
Bunsen’s Angel Messiah, p. 22.) 




THE DELUGE. 


21 


to take in clean beasts , and fowls of the air, by sevens. We are 
further assured, that, “ Noah did according to all that the Lord 
commanded him” 

After Noah and his family, and every beast after his kind, and 
all the cattle after their kind, the fowls of the air, and every creep¬ 
ing thing, had entered the ark, the Lord shut them in. Then “ were 
all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of 
heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days 
and forty nights .And the waters prevailed exceeding¬ 

ly upon the earth ; and all the hills, that were under the whole heaven, 
were covered. Fifteen cubits upwards did the waters prevail; and 
the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon 
the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beast, and of every 
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man. 
And Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him 
in the ark.” 1 The object of the flood was now accomplished, u all 
.flesh died that moved upon the earthL The Lord, therefore, 
“ made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged. 
The fountains of the deep, and the windows of heaven, were 
stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the 

waters decreased continually.And it came to pass at 

the end of forty days , that Noah opened the window of the ark, 
which he had made. And he sent forth a raven, which went 
forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the 
earth. He also sent forth a dove, . . . but the dove found no 

rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the 
ark.” . . . 

At the end of seven days he again “ sent forth the dove out of 
the ark, and the dove came in to him in the evening, and lo, in her 
mouth was an olive leaf, plucked off.” 

At the end of another seven days, he again “ sent forth the dove, 
which returned not again to him any more.” 

And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day 
of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. Then Noah and 
his wife, and his sons, and his sons’ wives, and every living thing 
that was in the ark, went forth out of the ark. “And Noah 
builded an altar unto the Lord, . . . and offered burnt offer¬ 

ings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and the 
Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more 
for man’s sake.” 2 


1 Gen. vi. 


2 Gen. viii. 



22 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


We shall now see that there is scarcely any considerable race of 
men among whom there does not exist, in some form, the tradition 
of a great deluge, which destroyed all the human race, except theiv 
own progenitors. 

The first of these which we shall notice, and the one with which 
the Hebrew agrees most closely, having been copied from it , 1 is the 
Chaldean , as given by Berosus, the Chaldean historian . 2 It is as 
follows: 

“After the death of Ardates (the ninth king of the Chaldeans), his son 
Xisuthrus reigned eighteen sari. In his time happened a great deluge, the his¬ 
tory of which is thus described: The deity Cronos appeared to him (Xisuthrus) 
in a vision, and warned him that upon the fifteenth day of the month Desius 
there would be a flood, by which mankind would be destroyed. He therefore 
enjoined him to write a history of the beginning, procedure, and conclusion of 
all things, and to bury it in the City of the Sun at Sippara; and to build a 
vessel, and take with him into it his friends and relations, and to convey on 
board everything necessary to sustain life, together with all the different ani¬ 
mals, both birds and quadrupeds, and trust himself fearlessly to the deep. Hav¬ 
ing asked the deity whither he was to sail, he was answered: ‘To the Gods;’ 
upon which he offered up a prayer for the good of mankind. He then obeyed 
the divine admonition, and built a vessel five stadia in length, and two in 
breadth. Into this he put everything which he had prepared, and last of all 
conveyed into it his wife, his children, and his friends. After the flood had 
been upon the earth, and was in time abated, Xisuthrus sent out birds from the 
vessel; which not finding any food, nor any place whereupon they might rest 
their feet, returned to him again. After an interval of some days, he sent them 
forth a second time; and they now returned with their feet tinged with mud. 
He made a trial a third time with these birds; but they returned to him no more: 
from whence he judged that the surface of the earth had appeared above the 
waters. He therefore made an opening in the vessel, and upon looking out 
found that it was stranded upon the side of some mountain; upon which he 
immediately quitted it with his wife, his daughter, and the pilot. Xisuthrus 
then paid his adoration to the earth, and, having constructed an altar, offered 
sacrifices to the gods .” 3 

This account, given by Berosus, which agrees in almost every 
particular with that found in Genesis, and with that found by 
George Smith of the British Museum on terra cotta tablets in 
Assyria, is nevertheless different in some respects. But, says 
Mr. Smith: 

“When we consider the difference between the two countries of Palestine 
and Babylonia, these variations do not appear greater than we should expect. 

. . . It was only natural that, in relating the same stories, each nation should 


1 See chapter xi. 

2 Josephus, the Jewish historian, speaking of 
the flood of Noah (Antiq. bk. 1, ch. iii.), says : 

“All the writers of the Babylonian histories 
make mention of this flood and this ark.” 


3 Quoted by George Smith: Chaldean Ac¬ 
count of Genesis, pp. 42-44 ; see also, The Pen¬ 
tateuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 211 ; Dunlap’a 
Spirit Hist. p. 138 ; Cory’s Ancient Fragments, 
p. 61, etseq. for similar accounts. 




THE DELUGE. 


23 


color them in accordance with its own ideas, and stress would naturally in each 
case be laid upon points with which they were familiar. Thus we should expect 
beforehand that there would be differences in the narrative such as we actually 
find, and we may also notice that the cuneiform account does not always coin¬ 
cide even with the account of the same events given by Berosus from Chaldean 
sources .” 1 

The most important points are the same however, i. e ., in both 
cases the virtuous man is informed by the Lord that a flood is 
about to take place, which would destroy mankind. In both cases 
they are commanded to build a vessel or ark, to enter it with their 
families, and to take in beasts, birds, and everything that creepeth, 
also to provide themselves with food. In both cases they send out 
a bird from the ark three times —the third time it failed to return. 
In both cases they land on a mountain, and upon leaving the ark 
they offer up a sacrifice to the gods. Xisuthrus was the tenth 
king , 2 and Noah the tenth patriarch . 3 Xisuthrus had three sons 
(Zerovanos, Titan and Japetostlies ), 4 and Noah had three sons 
(Shem, Ham and Japliet ). 5 * 

As Cory remarks in his “ Ancient Fragments,” “ The history 
of the flood, as given by Berosus, so remarkably corresponds with 
the Biblical account of the Noachian Deluge, that no one can 
doubt that both proceeded from one source—they are evi¬ 
dently transcriptions, except the names, from some ancient docu¬ 
ment . 0 

This legend became known to the Jews from Chaldean sources , 7 
it was not known in the country (Egypt) out of which they 
evidently came . 8 Egyptian history, it is said, had gone on un- 


1 Chaldean Account of Genesis, pp. 283, 286. 

a Volney : New Researches, p. 119; Chal¬ 
dean Acct. of Genesis, p. 290 ; Hist. Hindos- 
tan, vol. i. p. 417, and Dunlap's Spirit Hist. p. 
277. 

s Ibid. 

4 Legends of the Patriarchs, pp. 109,110. 

5 Gen. vi. 8. 

«The Hindoo ark-preserved Menu had 

three sons ; Sama, Cama, and Pra-Japati. 

(Faber: Orig. Pagan Idol.) The Bhattias, who 
live between Delli and the Panjab, insist that 
they are descended from a certain king called 
Salivahana, who had three sons, Bhat, Maha 
and Thamaz.” (Col. Wilford, in vol. ix. Asi¬ 
atic Researches.) The Iranian hero Thraetona 
had three sons. The Iranian Sethite Lamech 
had three sons, and Hellen, the son of Deu¬ 
calion, during whose time the flood is said to 
have happened, had three sons. (Bunsen : The 
Angel-Messiah, pp. 70, 71.) All the ancient na¬ 
tions of Europe also describe their origin from 
the three sons of some king or patriarch. The 


Germans said that Mannus (son of the god 
Tuisco) had three sons, who were the original 
ancestors of the three principal nations of 
Germany. The Scythians said that Targy- 
tagus, the founder of their nation, had three 
sons, from whom they were descended. A 
tradition among the Romans was that the Cy¬ 
clop Polyphemus had by Galatea three sons. 
Saturn had three sons, Jupiter, Neptune, and 
Pluto ; and Hesiod speaks of the three sons 
which sprung from the marriage of heaven 
and earth. (See Mallet’s Northern Autiquities, 
p. 509.) 

7 See chap. xi. 

8 “ It is of no slight moment that the Egyp¬ 
tians, wdth whom the Hebrews are represented 
as in earliest and closest intercourse, had no 
traditions of a flood, while the Babylonian 
and Hellenic tales bear a strong resemblance 
in many points to the narrative in Genesis.” 
(Rev. George W. Cox : Tales of Ancient Greece, 
p. 340. See also Owen : Man’s Earliest His¬ 
tory, p. 28, and ch. xi. this work.) 





24 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


interrupted for ten thousand years before the time assigned for the 
birth of Jesus . 1 And it is known as absolute fact that the land 
of Egypt was never visited by other than its annual beneficent 
overflow of the river Nile . 2 The Egyptian Bible, which is by 
far the most ancient of all holy books* kneio nothing of the 
Deluge . 4 The Plira (or Pharaoh) Khoufou-Cheops was building 
his pyramid, according to Egyptian chronicle, when the whole 
world was under the waters of a universal deluge, according to the 
Hebrew chronicle . 5 A number of other nations of antiquity are 
found destitute of any story of a flood , 0 which they certainly would 
have had if a universal deluge had ever happened. Whether this 
legend is of high antiquity in India has even been doubted by dis¬ 
tinguished scholars . 7 

The Hindoo legend of the Deluge is as follows : 

“Many ages after the creation of the world, Brahma resolved to destroy it 
with a deluge, on account of the wickedness of the people. There lived at that 
time a pious man named Satyavrata, and as the lord of the universe loved this 
pious man, and wished to preserve him from the sea of destruction which was 
to appear on account of the depravity of the age, he appeared before him in the 
form of Vishnu (the Preserver) and said: In seven days from the present time 
. . . the worlds will be plunged in an ocean of death, but iu the midst of 

the destroying waves, a large vessel, sent by me for thy use, shall stand before 
thee. Then shalt thou take all medicinal herbs, all the variety of feeds, and, 
accompanied by seven saints, encircled by pairs of all brute animals, thou shalt 
enter the spacious ark, and continue in it, secure from the flood, on one immense 
ocean without light, except the radiance of thy holy companions. When the 
ship shall be agitated by an impetuous wind, thou shalt fasten it with a large 
sea-serpent on my horn; for I will be near thee (in the form of a fish), drawing 
the vessel, with thee and thy attendants. I will remain on the ocean, O chief 
of men, until a night of Brahma shall be completely ended. Thou shalt then 


1 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 198, and Knight’s 
Ancient Art and Mythology, p. 107. “ Plato 
was told that Egypt had hymns dating back 
ten thousand years before his time.” (Bon- 
wick : Egyptian Belief, p. 185.) Plato lived 429 
B. c. Herodotus relates that the priests of 
Egypt informed him that from the first king to 
the present priest of Vulcan who last reigned, 
were three hundred forty and one generations 
of men, and during these generations there 
were the same number of chief priests and 
kings. “ Now (says he) three hundred gener¬ 
ations are equal to ten thousand years, for 
three generations of men are one hundred 
years ; and the forty-one remaining genera¬ 
tions that were over the three hundred, make 
one thousand three hundred and forty years,” 
making eleven thousand three hundred and forty 
years. “ Conducting me into the interior of an 
edifice that was spacious, and showing me 
wooden colossuses to the number I have men¬ 
tioned, they reckoned them up ; for every high 


priest places an image of himself there during 
his life-time ; the priests, therefore, reckoning 
them and showing them to me, pointed out that 
each was the son of his own father ; going 
through them all, from the image of him who 
died last until they had pointed them all out.” 
(Herodotus, book ii. chs. 142. 143.) The discov¬ 
ery of mummies of royal and priestly person¬ 
ages, made at Deir-el-Bahari (Aug., 1881), near 
Thebes, in Egypt, would seem to confirm this 
statement made by Herodotus. Of the thirty- 
nine mummies discovered, one—that of King 
Raskenen — is about three thousand seven 
hundred years old. (See a Cairo [Aug. 8th.] 
Letter to the London Times.) 

2 Owen : Man’s Earliest History, p. 28. 

3 Bomvick : Egyptian Belief, p. 185. 

4 Ibid. p. 411. 

5 Owen : Man's Earliest History, po. 27, 

28. 

6 Goldzhier : Hebrew Mytho. p. 319. 

7 Ibid. p. 320. 



THE DELUGE. 


25 


know my true greatness, riglitly named the Supreme Godhead; by my favor, all 
thy questions shall be answered, and thy mind abundantly instructed.” 

Being thus directed, Satyavrata humbly waited for the time 
which the ruler of our senses had appointed. It was not long, 
however, before the sea, overwhelming its shores, began to deluge 
the whole earth, and it was soon perceived to be augmented by 
showers from immense clouds. He, still meditating on the com¬ 
mands of the Lord, saw a vessel advancing, and entered it with the 
saints, after having carried into effect the instructions which had 
been given him. 

Vishnu then appeared before them, in the form of a fish, as he 
had said, and Satyavrata fastened a cable to his horn. 

The deluge in time abated, and Satyavrata, instructed in all 
divine and human knowledge, was appointed, by the favor of 
Vishnu , the Seventh Menu. After coming forth from the ark he 
offers up a sacrifice to Brahma . 1 

The ancient temples of Ilindostan contain representations of 
Vishnu sustaining the earth while overwhelmed by the waters of 
the deluge. A rainbow is seen on the surface of the subsiding 
waters . 3 

The Chinese believe the earth to have been at one time covered 
with water, which they described as flowing abundantly and then 
subsiding. This great flood divided the higher from the lower age 
of man. It happened during the reign of Yaou. This inundation, 
which is termed hung-shwuy (great water), almost ruined the 
country, and is spoken of by Chinese writers with sentiments of 
horror. The Shoo-King , one of their sacred books, describes the 
waters as reaching to the tops of some of the mountains, covering 
the hills, and expanding as wide as the vault of heaven . 3 

The Parsecs say that by the temptation of the evil spirit men 
became wicked, and God destroyed them with a deluge, except a 
few, from whom the world w T as peopled anew . 4 

In the Zend-Avesta , the oldest sacred book of the Persians, of 
whom the Parsees are direct descendants, there are sixteen countries 
spoken of as having been given by Ormuzd, the Good Deity, for 
the Aryans to live in ; and these countries are described as a land 
of delight, which was turned by Aliriman, the Evil Deity, into a 


1 Translated from the Bhagavat by Sir Wm. 
Jones, and published in the first volume of the 
“Asiatic Researches,” p. 230, et seq. Sec also 
Maurice: Ind. Ant. ii. 277, et seq., and Prof. 
Max Muller’s Hist. Ancient Sanskrit Litera¬ 
ture, p. 425, et seq. 


2 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 55. 

3 See Thornton's Hist. China, vol. i. p. 30. 
Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 205, and Priestley, 
p. 41. 

4 Priestley, p. 42. 





2G 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


land of death and cold, partly, it is said, by a great flood, which is 
described as being like Noairs flood recorded in the Book of 
Genesis. 1 2 

The ancient Greeks had records of a flood which destroyed 
nearly the whole human race. 3 The story is as follows : 

“ From liis throne in the high Olympos, Zeus looked down on the children of 
men, and saw that everywhere they followed only their lusts, and cared nothing 
for right or for law. And ever, as their hearts waxed grosser in their wicked¬ 
ness, they devised for themselves new rites to appease the anger of the gods, till 
the whole earth was filled with blood. Far away in the hidden glens of the 
Arcadian hills the sons of Lykaon feasted and spake proud words against the 
majesty of Zeus, and Zeus himself came down from his throne to see their way 
and their doings. . . . Then Zeus returned to his home on Olympos, and 

he gave the word that a flood of waters should be let loose upon the earth, that 
the sons of men might die for their great wickedness. So the west wind rose 
in its might, and the dark rain-clouds veiled the whole heaven, for the winds of 
the north which drive away the mists and vapors were shut up in their prison 
house. On hill and valley burst the merciless rain, and the rivers, loosened from 
their courses, rushed over the whole plains and up the mountain-side. From 
his home on the highlands of Phthia, Dcukalion looked forth on the angry sky, 
and, when he saw the waters swelling in the valleys beneath, he called Pvrrha, 
his wife, and said to her: ‘The time has come of which my father, the wise 
Prometheus, forewarned me. Make ready, therefore, the ark which I» have 
built, and place in it all that we may need for food while the flood of waters is 
out upon the earth.’ . . . Then Pyrrha hastened to make all things read}', 

and they waited till the waters rose up to the highlands of Phthia and floated 
away the ark of Dcukalion. The fishes swam amidst the old elm-droves, and 
j twined amongst the gnarled boughs on the oaks, while on the face of the waters 
were tossed the bodies of men; and Deukalion looked on the dead faces of 
stalwart warriors, of maidens, and of babes, as they rose and fell upon the 
heavy waves. ” 

When the flood began to abate, the ark rested on Mount Par¬ 
nassus, and Deucalion, witli bis wife Pyrrha, stepped forth upon 
the desolate earth. They then immediately constructed an altar, 
and offered up thanks to Zeus, the mighty being who sent the flood 
and saved them from its waters. 3 

According to Ovid (a Grecian writer born 43 b. c.), Deucalion 
does not venture out of the ark until a dove which he sent out re¬ 
turns to him with an olive branch. 4 


1 Bunce : Fairy Tales, Origin and Meaning, 

p. 18. 

2 The oldest Greek mythology, however, has 
no such idea; it cannot be proved to have 
been known to the Greeks earlier than the 6th 
century B. C. (See Goldzhier : Hebrew Mytho., 
p. 319.) This could not have been the case 
had there ever been a universal deluge. 

3 Tales of Ancient Greece, pp. 72-74. “ Apol- 

lodorus—a Grecian mythologist, born 140 b. 


c., —having mentioned Deucalion consigned 
to the ark, takes notice, upon his quitting it, 
of his offering up an immediate sacrifice to 
God.” (Chambers’ Encyclo., art. Deluge.) 

4 In Lundy’s Monumental Christianity (p. 
299, Fig. 137) may be seen a representation of 
Deucalion and Pyrrha landing from the ark. 
A dove and olive branch are depicted in the 
scene. 


i 


I 





THE DELUGE. 


27 


It was at one time extensively believed, even by intelligent 
scholars, that the myth of Deucalion was a corrupted tradition of 
the Noacliian deluge, but this untenable opinion is now all but 
universally abandoned. l 

The legend was found in the West among the Kelts. They be¬ 
lieved that a great deluge overwhelmed the world and drowned all 
men except Drayan and Droyvacli, who escaped in a boat, and 
colonized Britain. This boat was supposed to have been built by 
the “ Heavenly Lord,” and it received into it a pair of every kind 
of beasts. 2 

The ancient Scandinavians had their legend of a deluge. The 
Edda describes this deluge, from which only one man escapes, with 
his family, by means of a bark.* It was also found among the 
ancient Mexicans. Lord Kingsborougli, speaking of this legend, 
informs us that, 

‘■The person who answered to Noah entered the ark with six others. The 
story of sending birds out of the ark, &c., is the same in general character with 
that of the Bible.” 4, 

Dr. Brinton also speaks of the Mexican tradition. 5 They 
had not only the story of sending out the bird, but related that 
the ark landed on a mountain. The tradition of a deluge was 
also found among the Brazilians, and among many Indian tribes. 6 
The mountain upon which the ark is supposed to have rested, 
was pointed to by the residents in nearly every quarter of the globe. 
The mountain-chain of Ararat was considered to be — by the 
Chaldeans and Hebrews —the place where the ark landed. The 
Greeks pointed to Mount Parnassus ; the Hindoos to the Himalayas; 
and in Armenia numberless heights were pointed out with becom¬ 
ing reverence, as those on which the few survivors of the dreadful 
scenes of the deluge were preserved. On the Bed River (in 
America), near the village of the Cabboes, there was an eminence to 
which the Indian tribes for a great distance around paid devout 
homage. The Cerro Naztarny on the Rio Grande, the peak of Old 
Zuni in Hew Mexico, that of Colhuacan on the Pacific coast, 
Mount Apoala in Upper Mixteca, and Mount Keba in the province 
of Guaymi, are some of many elevations asserted by the neighbor- 


1 Chambers’ Encyclo., art. Deucalion. * See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, p. 99. 

2 Baring-Gould : Legends of the Patriarchs, 4 Quoted by Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. 

p. 114. See also Myths of the British Druids, p. 27. 

p. 95 . 6 Myths of the New World, pp. 203, 204. 

6 See Squire : Serpent Symbol, pp. 189,190. 









28 


BIBLE 3IYTIIS. 


ing nations to have been places of refuge for their ancestors when 
the fountains of the great deep broke forth. 

The question now may naturally be asked, How could such a 
story have originated unless there was some foundation for it ? 

In answer to this question w r e will say that we do not think 
such a story could have originated without some foundation for it, 
and that most, if not all, legends, have a bask of truth underlying 
the fabulous, although not always discernible. This story may have 
an astronomical basis, as some suppose, 1 or it may not. At any 
rate, it would be very easy to transmit by memory the fact of the 
sinking of an island , or that of an earthquake , or a great flood , 
caused b} r overflows of rivers, &c., which, in the course of time, 
would be added to, and enlarged upon, and, in this way, made into 
quite a lengthy tale. According to one of the most ancient ac¬ 
counts of the deluge, we are told that at that time “ the forest trees 
were dashed against each other; ” “ the mountains were involved 
with smoke and flamethat there was “ fire, and smoke, and wind, 
which ascended in thick clouds replete with lightning.” “ The 
roaring of the ocean, whilst violently agitated with the whirling of 
the mountains, was like the bellowing of a mighty cloud, &c.” 2 

A violent earthquake, with eruptions from volcanic mountains, 
and the sinking of land into the sea, would evidently produce such 
a scene as this. We know that at one period in the earth’s history, 
such scenes must have been of frequent occurrence. The science 
of geology demonstrates this fact to ns. Local deluges were of 
frequent occurrence, and that some persons may have been saved on 
one, or perhaps many, such occasions, by means of a raft or boat, 
and that they may have sought refuge on an eminence, or mountain, 
does not seem at all improbable. 

During the Champlain period in the history of the world— 
which came after the Glacial period—the climate became warmer, 
the continents sank , and there were, consequently, continued local 
floods which must have destroyed considerable animal life, includ¬ 
ing man. The foundation of the deluge myth may have been laid 
at this time. 


1 Count de Volney says : “ The Deluge men¬ 
tioned by Jews, Chaldeans, Greeks and Indians, 
as having destroyed the world, are one and the 
same physico-astronomical event which is still 
repeated every year,” and that “all those 
personages that figure in the Deluge of Noah 
and Xisuthus, are still in the celestial sphere. 
It was a real picture of the calendar.” (Re¬ 
searches in Ancient Hist., p. 124.) It was on 
the same day that Noah is said to have shut 


himself up in the ark. Ihat the priests of Egypt 
shut up in their sacred coffer or ark the image 
of Osiris, a personification of the Sun. This 
was on the 17th of the month Athor, in which 
the Sun enters the Scorpion. (See Kcnrick’s 
Egypt* vol. i. p. 410.) The history of Noah 
also corresponds, in some respects, with that 
of Bacchus, another personification of the Sun. 

2 See Maurice’s Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. 
p. 208. 




THE DELUGE. 


20 


Some may suppose that this is dating the history of man too far 
back, making his history too remote; but such is not the case. 
There is every reason to believe that man existed for ages before the 
^ Glacial epoch. It must not be supposed that we have yet found 
remains of the earliest human beings; there is evidence, however, 
that man existed during the Pliocene , if not during the Miocene 
periods, when hoofed quadrupeds, and Proboscidians abounded, 
human remains and implements having been found mingled with 
remains of these animals. 1 

Charles Darwin believed that the animal called man, might have 
been properly called by that name at an epoch as remote as the 
Eocene period. 2 Man had probably lost his hairy covering by that 
time, and had begun to look human. 

Prof. Draper, speaking of the antiquity of man, says: 

“ So far as investigations have gone, they indisputably refer the existence of 
man to a date remote from us by many hundreds of thousands of years," and that, 
“ it is difficult to assign a shorter date from the last glaciation of Europe than a 
quarter of a million of years, and human existence antedates that .” 3 

Again he says : 

“ Recent researches give reason to believe that, under low and base grades, 
the existence of man can be traced back into the Tertiary times. He was con¬ 
temporary with the Southern Elephant, the Rhinoceros-leptorhinus, the great 
Hippopotamus, perhaps even in the Miocene, contemporary with the Mastodon .” 4 


» “ In America, along with the bones of the 
Mastodon imbedded in the alluvium of the 
Bourbense, were found arrow heads and other 
traces of the savages who had killed this 

2 Darwin : Descent of Man, p. 156. We think it may not be out of place to insert here what 


member of an order no longer represented in 
that part of the world.” (Herbert Spencer: 
Principles of Sociology, vol. i. p. 17.) 


might properly be called 
Act. i. 

Act ii. 


Primary. 


Scene 


Act iii. 


Secondary. 
Act iv. 


'Scene 


Tertiary. 


Act v. 


Post Tertiary. 


Draper: 


“ The Drama of Life," which is as follows : 

Azoic : Conflict of Inorganic Forces. 

Paleozoic : Age of Invertebrates. 

Eozoic : Enter Protozoans and Protophytes. 

Silurian : Enter the Army of Invertebrates. 

Devonian : Enter Fishes. 

Carboniferous : (Age of Coal Plants) Enter First Air breathers, j 
Mesozoic : Enter Reptiles. 

Triassic : Enter Batrachians. 

Jurassic : Enter huge Reptiles of Sea, Land and Air. 

Cretaceous : (Age of Chalk) Enter Ammonites. 

Cenozoic : (Age of Mammals.) 

Eocene : Enter Marine Mammals, and probably Man. 

Miocene : Enter Hoofed Quadrupeds. 

Pliocene : Enter Proboscidians and Edentates. 

Post Tertiary : Positive Age of Man. 

Glacial : Ice and Drift Periods. 

Champlain: Sinking Continents; Warmer; Tropical Animals go North* 
Terrace: Rising Continents ; Colder. 

Present: Enter Science, Iconoclasts, &c., &c. 

Religion and Science, p. 199. 4 Ibid. pp. 195, 196. 


i. 

ii. 

iii. 

iv. 

i. 

ii. 

iii. 


' Scene i. 
“ ii. 
“ iii. 


I" Scene 


l. 

ii. 

iii. 

iv. 








30 


BIBLE MYTHS* 


Prof. Huxley closes liis “ Evidence as to Man’s Place in Hature,” 
by saying: 

“Where must we look for primeval man? Was the oldest Homo Sapiens 
Pliocene or Miocene, or yet more ancient? ... If any form of the doctrine 
of progressive development is correct, we must extend by long epochs the most lib¬ 
eral estimate that has yet been made of the antiquity of man." 1 

Prof. Oscar Paschel, in liis work on “ Mankind,” speaking of 
the deposits of human remains, which have been discovered in 
caves, mingled with the bones of wild animals, says: 

“ The examination of one of these caves at Brixham, by a geologist as trust¬ 
worthy as Dr. Falconer, convinced the specialists of Great Britain, as early as 
1858, that man was a contemporary of the Mammoth, the Woolly Rhinoceros, 
the Cave-lion, the Cave-hyena, the Cave-bear, and therefore of the Mammalia of 
the Geological period antecedent to our own." 2 

The positive evidence of man’s existence during the Tertiary 
period, are facts which must firmly convince every one—who is 
willing to be convinced—of the great antiquity of man. We might 
multiply our authorities, but deem it unnecessary. 

The observation of shells, corals, and other remains of aquatic 
animals , in places above the level of the sea, and even on high 
mountains, may have given rise to legends of a great flood. 

Fossils found imbedded in high ground have been appealed to, 
both in ancient and modern times, both by savage and civilized 
man, as evidence in support of their traditions of a flood ; and, more¬ 
over, the argument, apparently unconnected with any tradition, is 
to be found, that because there are marine fossils in places away 
from the sea, therefore the sea must once have been there. 

It is only quite recently that the presence of fossil shells, &c., 
on high mountains, has been abandoned as evidence of the 
Noachic flood. 

Mr. Tylor tells us that in the ninth edition of “ Horne’s Intro¬ 
duction to the Scriptures,” published in 1846, the evidence of fossils 
is confidently held' to prove the universality of the Deluge ; but the 
argument disappears from the next edition , published ten years 
later. 3 

Besides fossil remains of aquatic animals, boatshxvQ been found 
on tops of mountains. 4 A discovery of this kind may have given 
rise to the story of an ark having been made in which to preserve 
the favored ones from the waters, and of its landing on a mountain. 6 


1 Huxley : Man’s Place in Nature, p. 184. 

2 Paschel : Races of Man, p. 30. 

3 Tylor : Early History of Mankind, p. 328. 

4 Ibid. pp. 329, 330. 


6 We know that many legends have origin¬ 
ated in this way. For example, Dr. Robinson, 
in his “Travels in Palestine” (ii. 586), meni 
tions a tradition that a city had once stood in a 




THE DELUGE. 


31 


Before closing this chapter, it may be well to notice a striking 
incident in the legend we have been treating, i. e ., the frequent oc¬ 
currence of the number seven in the narrative. For instance : the 
Lord commands Noah to take into the ark clean beasts by sevens , 
and fowls also by sevens , and tells him that in seven days he will 
cause it to rain upon the earth. We are also told that the ark 
rested in the seventh month, and the ^v^iteentli day of the month, 
upon the mountains of Ararat. After sending the dove out of the 
ark the first time, Noah waited seven days before sending it out 
again. After sending the dove out the second time, “ he stayed yet 
another seven days” ere he again sent forth the dove. 

This coincidence arises from the mystic power attached to the 
number seven , derived from its frequent occurrence in astrology. 

We find that in all religions of antiquity the number seven — 
which applied to the sun , moon and th q five planets known to the 
ancients—is a sacred number , represented in all kinds and sorts of 
forms ;* for instance : The candlestick with seven branches in the 
temple of Jerusalem. The seven inclosures of the temple. The 
seven doors of the cave of Mithras. The seven stories of tne tower 
of Babylon. 2 The seven gates of Thebes. 3 The flute of seven pipes 
generally put into the hand of the god Pan. The lyre of seven 
strings touched by Apollo. The book of “ hate,” composed of seven 
books. The seven prophetic rings of the Brahmans. 4 The seven 
stones—consecrated to the seven planets—in Laconia. 5 The division 
into seven castes adopted by the Egyptians and Indians. The seven 
idols of the Bonzes. The seven altars of the monument of Mithras. 
The seven great spirits invoked by the Persians. The seven arch¬ 
angels of the Chaldeans. The seven archangels of the Jews. 8 


desert between Petra and Hebron, the people of 
which had perished for their vices, and been 
converted into stone. Mr. Seetzen, who went 
to the spot, found no traces cf ruins, but a 
number of stony concretions, resembling in 
form and size the human head. They had been 
ignorantly supposed to be petrified heads, and a 
legend framed to account for their owners suf¬ 
fering so terrible a fate. Another illustration 
is as follows :—The Kamchadals believe that 
volcanic mountains are the abode of devils, 
who, after they have cooked their meals, fling 
the fire-brands out of the chimney. Being 
asked what these devils eat, they said “ whales .” 
Here wc see, first, a story invented to account 
for the volcanic eruptions from the mountains ; 
and, second, a story invented to account for the 
remains of u'hales found on the mountains. The 
savages knew that this was true, “ because their 
old people had said so, and believed it them¬ 


selves.” (Related by Mr. Tylor, in his “ Early 
History of Mankind," p. 326.) 

1 “Everythingof importance was calculated 
by, and fitted into, this number (seven) by the 
Aryan philosophers,—ideas as well as locali¬ 
ties.” (Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 407.) 

2 Each one being consecrated to a planet. 
First, to Saturn ; second, to Jupiter ; third, to 
Mars; fourth, to the Sun ; fifth, to Venus ; 
sixth, to Mercury; seventh, to the Moon. 
(The Pentateuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 2G9. See 
also The Angel Messiah, p. 106.) 

3 Each of which had the name of a planet. 

4 On each of which the name of a planet was 
engraved. 

6 “ There was to be seen in Laconia, seven 
columns erected in honor of the seven planets." 
(Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 34.) 

8 “ The Jew’s believed that the Throne of 
Jehovah was surrounded by his seven high 



82 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The seven days in the week. 1 The seven sacraments of the Chris¬ 
tians. The seven wicked spirits of the Babylonians. The sprinkling 
of blood seven times upon the altars of the Egyptians. The seven 
mortal sins of the Egyptians. The hymn of seven vowels chanted 
by the Egyptian priests. 2 The seven branches of the Assyrian 
“ Tree of Life.” Agni, the the Hindoo god, is represented with 
seven arms. Sura’s 8 horse was represented with seven heads. 
Seven churches are spoken of in the Apocalypse. Balaam builded 
seven altars, and offered seven bullocks and seven rams on each 
altar. Pharaoh saw seven kine, (fee., in his dream. The “ Priest of 
Midian” had seven daughters. Jacob served seven years. Before 
Jericho seven priests bare seven horns. Samson was bound with 
seven green withes, and his marriage feast lasted seven days, (fee., 
&c. We might continue with as much more, but enough has 
been shown to verify the statement that, “in all religions of anti¬ 
quity, the number seven is a saci'ed number. 


y> 




chiefs : Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, &c." 
(Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 40.) 

1 Each one being consecrated to a planet, 
and the Sun and Moon. Sunday, “ Dies Solis," 
sacred to the sun. Monday, “ Dies Lunae,” 
sacred to the moon. Tuesday, sacred to Tniso 
or Maks. Wednesday, sacred to Odin or 
Woden, and to Mercury. Thursday, sacred to 
Thor and others. Friday, sacred to Freia and 


Venus. Saturday, sacred to Saturn. “ The 
(ancient) Egyptians assigned a day of the week 
to the sun, moon, and live planets, and the 
number seven was held there in great rever¬ 
ence.” (Kenrick: Egypt, i. 238.) 

2 “ The Egyptian priests chanted the seven 
vowels as a hymn addressed to Serapis .” (The 
Kosicrucians, p. 143.) 

3 Sura: the Sun-god of the Hindoos. 


sT 



( 






CHAPTER III. 


THE TOWER OF BABEL. 

We are informed tliat, at one time, “ the whole earth was of 
one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they 
(the inhabitants of the earth) journeyed from the East, that they 
found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 

“ And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and 
burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime 
had they for mortar. 

“ And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose 
top may reach unto heaven , and let us make us a name, lest we be 
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord 
came down to see the city and the tower , which the children of 
men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and 
they have all one language ; and this they begin to do: and now 
nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined 
to do. Go to, let us go down , and there confound their language, 
that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord 
scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: 
and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it 
called Babel , because the Lord did there confound the language of 
all the earth ; and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad * 
upon the face of all the earth.” 1 

Such is the “ Scripture” account of the origin of languages, 
which differs somewhat from the ideas of Prof. Max Muller and 
other philologists. 

Bishop Colenso tells us that: 

“The story of the dispensation of tongues is connected by the Jehovistic 
writer with the famous unfinished temple of Belus, of which probably some 
wonderful reports had reached him. . . . The derivation of the name Babel 

from the Hebrew word babal (confound) which seems to be the connecting point 
between the story and the tower of Babel, is altogether incorrect.”' 2 


1 Genesis xi. 1-9. 

3 


3 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 2G8. 

[33] 



34 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The literal meaning of the word being house , or court , or gate 
of Bel, or gate of God. 1 

John Fiske confirms this statement by saying: 

“The name « Babel ’ is really ‘ Bab-ii; or ‘ The Gate of God but the Hebrew 
writer erroneously derives the word from the root ‘ babal ’—to confuse—and 
hence arises the mystical explanation, that Babel was a place where human speech 
became confused.” 2 

The “ wonderful reports” that reached the Jehovistic writer 
who inserted this tale into the Hebrew Scriptures, were from the 
Chaldean account of the confusion of tongues. It is related by 
Berosus as follows : 

The first inhabitants of the earth, glorying in their strength and 
size, 3 and despising the gods, undertook to raise a tower whose top 
should reach the sky, in the place where Babylon now stands. But 
when it approached the heavens, the winds assisted the gods, and 
overthrew the work of the contrivers, and also introduced a diver¬ 
sity of tongues among men, who till that time had all spoken the 
same kinsma^e. The ruins of this tower are said to be still in 
Babylon. 4 

Josephus, the Jewish historian, says that it was Nimrod who 
built the towei*, that he was a very wicked man, and that the tower 
was built in case the Lord should have a mind to drown the world 
again. He continues his account by saying that when Himrod 
proposed the building of this tower, the multitude were very ready 
to follow the proposition, as they could then avenge themselves on 
God for destroying their forefathers. 

“ And they built a tower, neither sparing any pains nor being in any degree 
negligent about the work. And by reason of the multitude of hands employed 

on it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect.It was 

* built of burnt brick, cemented together, with mortar made of bitumen, that it 
might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they had acted so 
madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser 
by the destruction of the former sinners, but he caused a tumult among them, by 
producing in them divers languages, and causing, that through the multitude of 
those languages they should not be able to understand one another. The place 
where they built the tower is now called Babylon.” 5 

The tower in Babylonia, which seems to have been a foundation 
for the legend of the confusion of tongues to be built upon, was 


1 Ibid. p. 268. See also Bible for Learners, 
vol. i. p. 90. 

2 Myths and Myth-makers, p. 72. See also 
Encyclopaedia Britannica, art. Babel.” 

3 “There were giants in the earth in those 

days.” (Genesis vi. 4.) 


4 Quoted by Rev. S. Baring-Gould : Legends 
of the Patriarchs, p. 147. See also Smith: 
Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 48, apd Vol¬ 
ley’s Researches in Ancient History, pp. 130 
131. 

6 Jewish Antiquities, book 1, ch. iv. p. 30. 





THE TOWER OF BABEL. 



evidently originally built for astronomical purposes' Tliis is 
clearly seen from the fact that it was called the “ Stages of the 
Seven Spheres,” 1 2 3 and that each one of these stages was consecrated 
to the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Yenus, and Mercury. 3 
hTebuchadonazar says of it in his cylinders : 

“ The building named the ‘ Stages of the Seven Spheres,’ which was the tower 
of Borsippa (Babel), had been built by a former king. He had completed forty- 
two cubits, but he did not finish its head. From the lapse of time, it had become 
ruined; they had not taken care of the exits of the waters, so the rain and 
wet had penetrated into the brick-work; the casing of burnt brick had bulged 
out, and the terraces of crude brick lay scattered in heaps. Merobach, my great 
Lord, inclined my heart to repair the building. I did not change its site, nor 
did I destroy its foundation, but, in a fortunate month, and upon an auspicious 
day, I undertook the rebuilding of the crude brick terraces and burnt brick 
casing, &c., &c.” 4 

There is not a word said here in these cylinders about the, con¬ 
fusion of tongues, nor anything pertaining to it. The ruins of this 
ancient tower being there in Babylonia, and a legend of how the 
gods confused the speech of mankind also being among them, it 
was very convenient to point to these ruins as evidence that the 
story was true, just as the ancient Mexicans pointed to the ruins of 
the tower of Cholula, as evidence of the truth of the similar story 
which they had among them, and just as many nations pointed to 
the remains of aquatic animals on the tops of mountains, as evidence 
of the truth of the deluge story. 

The Armenian tradition of the “ Confusion of Tongues ” was 
to this effect: 

The world was formerly inhabited by men “ with strong bodies 
and huge size ” (giants). These men being full of pride and envy, 
“ they formed a godless resolve to build a high tower ; but whilst 
they were engaged on the undertaking, a fearful wind overthrew it, 
which the wrath of God had sent against it. Unknown words 
were at the same time blown about among men, wherefore arose 
strife and confusion.” 0 

The Hindoo legend of the “ Confusion of Tongues,” is as follows: 

There grew in the centre of the earth, the wonderful “ World 

O 


1 “ Diodorus states that the great tower of 
the temple of Belus was used by the Chaldeans 
as an observatoi'y .” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary, 
art. “Babel.”) 

2 The Hindoos had a sacred Mount Mcru , 
the abode of the gods. This mountain was 

supposed to consist of seven stages , increasing 

, in sanctity as they ascended. Many of the 
Hindoo temples, or rather altars, were “studied 
transcripts of the sacred Mount Meruthat 
is, they were built, like the tower of Babel, in 


seven stages. Within the upper dwelt Brahm. 
(See Squire’s Serpent Symbol, p. 107.) Hero¬ 
dotus tells us that the upper stage of the tower 
of Babel was the abode of the god Belus. 

3 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 
269. See also Bunsen : The Angel Messiah, p. 
106. 

* Rawlinson, quoted by Dunlap : Son of the 
Man, pp. 5, 6. See also Smith’s Dictionary of 
the Bible, under “ Babel.” 

6 Legends of the Patriarchs, pp. 148,149. 




36 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Tree” or tlie 44 Knowledge Tree” It was so tall that it readied 
almost to heaven. “ It said in its heart: 4 1 shall hold my head in 
heaven, and spread my branches over all the earth, and gather all 
men together under my shadow, and protect them, and prevent 
them from separating.’ But Brahma, to punish the pride of the 
tree, cut off its branches and cast them down on the earth, when 
they sprang up as Wata trees , and made differences of belief \ and 
speech, and customs , to prevail on the earth, to disperse men over 
its surface.” 1 

Traces of a somewhat similar story have also been met with 

%» 

among the Mongolian Tharus in the north of India, and, according to 
Dr. Livingston, among the Africans of Lake Nganu? The ancient 
Esthonians 3 had a similar myth which they called 44 3 The Cooking 
of Languages so also had the ancient inhabitants of the continent 
of Australia. 11 The story was found among the ancient Mexicans, 
and was related as follows: 

Those, with their descendants, who were saved from the deluge 
which destroyed all mankind, excepting the few saved in the ark, 
resolved to build a tower which would reach to the skies. The ob¬ 
ject of this was to see what was going on in Heaven, and also to 
have a place of refuge in case of another deluge. 5 

The job w r as superintended by one of the seven who were saved 
from the flood. 6 lie was a giant called Xelliua, surnamed 44 the 
Architect.” 7 

Xelliua ordered bricks to be made in the province of Tlamanalco, 
at the foot of the Sierra of Cocotl, and to be conveyed to Cholula , 
where the tow^er was to be built. For this purpose, he placed a file 
of men reaching from the Sierra to Cholula, who passed the bricks 
from hand to hand. 8 The gods beheld w T itli wrath this edifice,— 
the top of which was nearing the clouds,—and were much irritated 
at the daring attempt of Xelliua. They therefore hurled lire from 
Heaven upon the pyramid, which threw it down, and killed many 
of the workmen. The work was then discontinued, 9 as each family 
interested in the building of the tower, received a language of their 
own™ and the builders could not understand each other. 


1 Ibid. p. 148. Tlie ancient Scandinavians 
had a legend of a somewhat similar tree. “ The 
Mundane Tree,” called YggdrasilL was in the 
centre of the earth ; its branches covered over 
the surface of the earth, and its top reached to 
the highest heaven. (See Mallet’s Northern 
Antiquities.) 

2 Encyclopaedia Britannica, art. “ Babel.” 

3 Esthonia is one of the three Baltic, or so- 
called, provinces of Russia. 


4 Encyclopaedia Britannica, art. “Babel.” 

6 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 27. 

6 Brinton : Myths of the New W'orld, p. 
204. 

7 Humboldt: American Researches, vol. i. 
p. 98. 

8 Ibid. 

9 Ibid, and Brinton : Myths of the New 
World, p. 204. 

10 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 272. 




TIIE TOWER OF BABEL. 


37 


Dr. Delitch must have been astonished upon coming across this 
legend ; for he says: 

“Actually the Mexicans had a legend of a tower-building as well as of a flood. 
Xelhua, one of the seven giants rescued from the flood, built the great pyramid 
of Cholula, in order to reach heaven, until the gods, angry at his audacity, threw 
fire upon the building and broke it down, whereupon every separate family 
received a language of its own.” 1 

The ancient Mexicans pointed to the ruins of a tower at Cholula 
as evidence of the truth of their story. This tower was seen by 
Humboldt and Lord Kingsborongh, and described by them. 2 

We may say then, with Dr. Kalish, that: 

“ Most of the ancient nations possessed myths concerning impious giants who 
attempted to storm heaven, either to share it with the immortal gods, or to expel 
them from it. In some of these fables the confusion of tongues is represented as 
the punishment inflicted by the deities for such wickedness.” 


i Quoted by Bishop Colenso : The Penta- p. 97. Lord Kingsborough : Mexican Antiqui- 
teuch Examined, vol. iv. p. 272. ties, quoted by Iliggins : Anacalypsie, ii. p. 

8 Humboldt: American Researches, vol. i. 27. 



CHAPTER IV. 


THE TRIAL OF ABRAHAM’S FAITH. 

The story of the trial of Abraham’s faith — when he is ordered 
by the Lord to sacrifice his only son Isaac—is to be found in Genesis 
xxii. 1-19, and is as follows: 

“And it came to pass . . . that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto 

him: ‘ Abraham,’ and he said: ‘Behold, here I am.’ And he (God) said: ‘ Take 
now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land 
of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains 
which I will tell thee of.’ 

“And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, andjtook 
two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the 
burnt offering, and rose up and went into the place which God had told him. 
. . . (When Abraham was near the appointed place) he said unto his young 

men: ‘ Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, 
and come again to thee. And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, 
and laid it upon (the shoulders of) Isaac his son, and he took the fire in his hand, 
and a knife, and they went both of them together. Ami Isaac spake unto 
Abraham his father, and said: ‘ Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the 
lamb for the burnt offering ? ’ And Abraham said: ‘ My son, God will provide 
himself a lamb for a burnt offering.’ So they went both of them together, and 
they came to the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built an altar 
there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on 
the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the 
knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, 
and said: ‘ Abraham ! Abraham! lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou 
anything unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast 
not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.’ 

“And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram 
caught in a thicket by his horns, and Abraham went and took the ram, and 
offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. . . . And the 

angel of the Lord called unto Abraham, out of heaven, the second time, and said: 
‘ By myself have I sworn saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, 
and hast not withheld thy son. thine only son, ... I will bless thee, and 
. . . I will multiply thy seed as the stars in the heaven, and as the sand 

which is upon the sea shore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. 
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blest, because thou hast 
obeyed my voice.’ So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up 
and went together to Beer-slieba, and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.” 

[38] 


THE TRIAL OF ABRAHAM’S FAITII. 


39 


There is a Hindoo story related in the Sankhayana-sutras, 
which, in substance, is as follows : King Ilariscandra had no son ; 
h 3 then prayed to Varuna, promising, that if a son were born to 
him, he would sacrifice the child to the god. Then a son was born 
to him, called Koliita. When Koliita was grown up his father one 
day told him of the vow he had made to Varuna, and bade him 
prepare to be sacrificed. The son objected to being killed and ran 
away from his father’s house. For six years he wandered in the 
forest, and at last met a starving Brahman. Him he persuaded to 
sell one of his sons named Sunahsepha, for a hundred cows. This 
boy w T as bought by Koliita and taken to Hariscandra and about to 
be sacrificed to Varuna as a substitute for Koliita, when, on praying 
to the gods with verses from the Veda, he was released by them. 1 2 

There is an ancient Phenician story, written by Sanconiathan, 
who wrote about 1300 years before our era, which is as follows : 

“ Saturn, whom the Phoenicians call Israel , had by a nymph of the country a 
male child whom he named Jeoud, that is, one and only. On the breaking out of 
a war, which brought the country into imminent danger, Saturn erected an altar, 
brought to it his son, clothed in royal garments, and sacrificed him.” 4 

There is also a Grecian fable to the effect that one Agamemnon 
had a daughter whom he dearly loved, and she was deserving of 
his affection. He was commanded by God, through the Delplnc 
Oracle, to offer her up as a sacrifice. Her father long resisted the 
demand, but finally succumbed. Before the fatal blow had been 
struck, however, the goddess Artemis or Ashtoreth interfered, and 
carried the maiden away, whilst in her place was substituted a stag.* 

Another similar Grecian fable relates that: 

“ When the Greek army was detained at Aulis, by contrary winds, the augura 
being consulted, declared that one of the kings had offended Diana, and she 
demanded the sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia. It was like taking the father’s 
life-blood, but he was persuaded that it was his duty to submit for the good of 
his country. The maiden was brought forth for sacrifice, in spite of her tears 
and supplications; but just as the priest was about to strike the fatal blow, 
Iphigenia suddenly disappeared, and a goat of uncommon beauty stood in her 
place.” 4 

There is yet still another, which belongs to the same country, 
and is related thus : 

“In Sparta, it being declared upon one occasion that the gods demanded a 
human victim, the choice was made by lot, and fell on a damsel named Helena. 


» See Muller’s Hist. Sanscrit Literature; and 3 See Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 
Williams’ Indian Wisdom, p. 29. 104. 

2 Quoted by Count de Volney: New Re- 4 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 302. 

searches in Anc’t Hist., p. 144. 



40 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


But when all was in readiness, an eagle descended, carried away the priest’s 
knife, and laid it on the head of a heifer, which was sacrificed in her stead.” 1 

The story of Abraham and Isaac was written at a time when the 
Mosaic party in Israel was endeavoring to abolish idolatry among 
their people. They were offering up human sacrifices to their 
gods Moloch, Baal, and Chemosh, and the priestly author of this 
story was trying to make the people think that the Lord had abol¬ 
ished such offerings, as far back as the time of Abraham. The 
Grecian legends, which he had evidently heard, may have given 
him the idea. 3 

Human offerings to the gods were at one time almost universal. 
In the earliest ages the offerings were simple, and such as shepherds 
and rustics could present. They loaded the altars of the gods with 
the first fruits of their crops, and the choicest products of the earth. 
Afterwards they sacrificed animals. When they had once laid it 
down as a principle that the effusion of the blood of these animals 
appeased the anger of the gods, and that their justice turned aside 
upon the victims those strokes which were destined for men, their 
great care was for nothing more than to conciliate their favor by 
so easy a method. It is the nature of violent desires and excessive 
fear to know no bounds, and therefore, when they would ask for any 
favor which they ardently wished for, or would deprecate some 
public calamity which they feared, the blood of animals was not 
deemed a price sufficient, but they began to shed that of men. It 
is probable, as we have said, that this barbarous practice was formerly 
almost universal, and that it is of very remote antiquity. In time of 
war the captives were chosen for this purpose, but in time of peace 
they took the slaves. The choice was partly regulated by the opinion 
of the bystanders, and partly by lot. But they did not always sacrifice 
such mean persons. In great calamities, in a pressing famine, for 
example, if the people thought they had some pretext to impute 
the cause of it to their X*my, they even sacrificed him without 
hesitation, as the highest price with which they could purchase the 
Divine favor. In this manner, the first King of Vermaland (a 
province of Sweden) was burnt in honor of Odin, the Supreme 
God, to put an end to a great dearth; as we read in the history of 
Norway. The kings, in their turn, did not spare the blood of their 
subjects; and many of them even shed that of their children. 
Earl Hakon, of Norway, offered his son in sacrifice, to obtain of 
Odin the victory over the Jomsburg pirates. Aun, King of Sweden, 


i Ibid. 


3 See chapter xi. 






THE TRIAL OF ABRAHAM*S FAITH. 


41 


devoted to Odin the blood of his nine sons, to prevail on that god 
to prolong his life. Some of the kings of Israel offered up their 
first-born sons as a sacrifice to the god Baal or Moloch. 

The altar of Moloch reeked with blood. Children were sacri¬ 
ficed and burned in the fire to him, while trumpets and flutes 
drowned their screams, and the mothers looked on, and were bound 
to restrain their tears. 

The Phenicians offered to the gods, in times of war and drought, 
the fairest of their children. The books of Sanchoniathon and 
Bybliau Philo are full of accounts of such sacrifices. In Byblos 
boys were immolated to Adonis ; and, on the founding of a city or 
colony, a sacrifice of a vast number of children was solemnized, in 
the hopes of thereby averting misfortune from the new settlement. 
The Phenicians, according to Eusebius, yearly sacrificed their 
dearest, and even their only children, to Saturn. The bones of the 
victims were preserved in the temple of Moloch, in a golden ark, 
which was carried by the Phenicians with them to war. 1 * Like the 
Fijians of the present day, those people considered their gods as 
beings like themselves. They loved and they hated; they were 
proud and revengeful, they were, in fact, savages like themselves. 

If the eldest born of the family of Atliamas entered the temple 
of the Laphystian Jupiter, at Alos, in Acliaia, he was sacrificed, 
crowned with garlands, like an animal victim. 9 

The offering of human sacrifices to the Sun was extensively 
practiced in Mexico and Peru, before the establishment of Chris¬ 
tianity. 3 

1 Baring-Gould : Orig. Belief. Belief, vol. i. 

p. 368. 


3 Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 443. 

3 Sec Acosta : Hist. Indies, vol. ii. 







CHAPTER Y. 


Jacob’s vision of the ladder. 

In tlie 28th chapter of Genesis, we are told that Isaac, after 
blessing his son Jacob, sent him to Padan-aram, to take a daughter 
of Laban’s (his mother’s brother) to wife. Jacob, obeying his 
father, u went out from Beer-sheba (where he dwelt), and went 
towards Ilaran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried 
there all night, because the sun was set. And lie took of the 
stones of the place, and put them for his pillow, and lay down in 
that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set upon 
the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And he beheld the 
angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the 
Lord stood above it, and said : ‘ I am the Lord God of Abraham 
thy father, and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest, to 
thee will I give it, and to thy seed.’ .... And Jacob 
awoke out of his sleep, and he said : ‘ Surely the Lord is in this 
place, and I know it not.’ And he was afraid, and said: ‘ IIow 
dreadf ul is this place, this is none other than the house of God, 
and this is the gate of Heaven .’ And Jacob rose up early in the 
morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillow, and set 
it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he 
called the name of that place Beth-el .” 

The doctrine of Metempsychosis has evidently something to 
do with this legend. It means, in the theological acceptation of 
the term, the supposed transition of the soul after death, into 
another substance or body than that which it occupied before. The 
belief in such a transition was common to the most civilized, and 
the most uncivilized, nations of the earth. 1 2 

, It was believed in, and taught by, the Brahminical Hindoos, 9 
the Buddhists , 3 * the natives of Egypt' several philosophers of 


1 See Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Transmi¬ 
gration.” 

2 Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Transmigra¬ 

tion,” Prichard’s Mythology, p. 213, and Prog. 

Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 59. 

[42] .. 


3 Ibid. Ernest de Bunsen says : “ The first 
traces of the doctrine of Transmigration of 
souls is to be found among the Brahmins and 
Buddhists.” (The Angel Messiah, pp. 63, 64.) 

4 Prichard’s Mythology, pp. 213, 214. 









43 


JACOB’S VISION OF THE LADDER. 

ancient Greece the ancient Druids , 1 2 3 the natives of Madagascar' 
several tribes of Africa * and North America , 5 the ancient Mexi¬ 
cans' and by some Jewish and Christian sects. 5 

“ It deserves notice, that in both of these religions (i. c., Jewish and Christian), 
it found adherents as well in ancient as in modern times. Among the Jews, the 
doctrine of transmigration—the Gilgul Neshamoth— was taught in the mystical 
system of the Kabbala. ” 6 

“All the souls,” the spiritual code of this system says, “are subject to the 
trials of transmigration; and men do not know which are the ways of the Most 
High in their regard.” “The principle, in short, of the Kabbala, is the same as 
that of Brahmanism.” 

“ On the ground of this doctrine, which was shared in by Rabbis of the highest 
renown, it was held, for instance, that the soul of Adam migrated into David, 
and will come in the Messiah ; that the soul of Japhet is the same as that of 
Simeon, and the soul of Terah, migrated into Job.” 

“Of all these transmigrations, biblical instances are adduced according to 
their mode of interpretation—in the writings of Rabbi Manasse ben Israel, Rabbi 
Naphtali, Rabbi Meyer ben Gabbai, Rabbi Ruben, in the Jalkut Khadash, and 
other works of a similar character.” 4 

The doctrine is thus described by Ovid, in the language of 
Dryden : 

“ What feels the body when the soul expires, 

By time corrupted, or consumed by fires ? 

Nor dies the spirit, but new life repeats 
Into other forms, and only changes seats. 

Ev’n I, who these mysterious truths declare, 

* Was once Euphorbus in the Trojan war; 

My name and lineage 1 remember well, 

And how in fight by Spartan’s King I fell. 

In Argive Juno’s fane I late beheld 

My buckler hung on high, and own’d my former shield. 

Then death, so called, is but old matter dressed 
In some new figure, and a varied vest. 

Thus all things are but alter’d, nothing dies, 

And here and there the unbodied spirit flies.” 

The Jews undoubtedly learned this doctrine after they had been 
subdued by, and become acquainted with other nations; and the 
writer of this story, whoever lie may have been, was evidently 
endeavoring to strengthen the belief in this doctrine—he being 
an advocate of it—by inventing this story, and making Jacob a 
witness to the truth of it. Jacob would have been looked upon *at 
the time the story was written (i. e ., after the Babylonian captivity), 

1 Gross : The Heathen Religion. Also 6 Ibid. See also Bunsen : The Angel-Mes* 
Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Transmigration.” siah, pp. 63, 64. Dupuis, p. 357. Josephus: 

9 Ibid. Mallet's Northern Antiquities, p. 13; Jewish Antiquities, book xviii. ch. 13. Dun- 
and Myths of the British Druids, p. 15 lap : Son of the Man, p. 94 ; and Beal: Hist. 

3 Chambers’s Encyclo. Buddha. 

« Ibid. • Chambers, art. “ Transmigration.” 





44 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


as of great authority. We know that several writers of portions of 
the Old Testament have written for similar purposes. As an illus¬ 
tration, w r e may mention the book of Esther. This book was written 
for the purpose of explaining the origin of the festival of Purim , 
and to encourage the Israelites to adopt it. The writer, who was 
an advocate of the feast, lived long after the Babylonish captivity, 
and is quite unknown. 1 

The writer of the seventeenth chapter of Matthew has made 
Jesus a teacher of the doctrine of Transmigration. 

The Lord had promised that he would send Elijah (Elias) the 
prophet, “ before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the 
Lord,” 2 3 and Jesus is made to say that he had already come, or, that 
his sold had transmigrated unto the body of John the Baptist , and 
they knew it not. 

And in Mark (viii. 27) we are told that Jesus asked his disciples, 
saying unto them; “Whom do men say that 1 am?” whereupon 
they answer: “Some say Elias; and others, one of the prophets;” 
or, in other words, that the soul of Elias, or one of the prophets, 
had transmigrated into the body of Jesus. In John (ix. 1, 2), we are 
told that Jesus and his disciples seeing a man “ which was blind 
from his birth” the disciples asked him, saying; “ Master, who did 
sin, this man (in some former state) or his parents.” Being born 
blind, how else could he sin, unless in some former state f These 
passages result from the fact, which we have already noticed, that 
some of the Jewish and Christian sects believed in the doctrine of 
Metempsychosis. 

According to some Jewish authors, Adam was re-produced in 
Noah , Elijah , and other Bible celebrities. 4 

The Bev. Mr. Faber says: 

“ Adam, and Enoch, and Noah, might in outward appearance be different 
men, but they were really the self-same divine persons who had been promised as 
the seed of the woman, successively animating various human bodies.” 5 

We have stated as our belief that the vision which the writer of 
the twenty-eighth chapter of Genesis has made Jacob to witness, was 
intended to strengthen the belief in the doctrine of the Metempsy¬ 
chosis, that he was simply seeing the souls of men ascending and de- 
cending from heaven on a ladder , during their transmigrations. 

We will now give our reasons for thinking so. 

The learned Thomas Maurice tells us that: 


1 See The Religiou of Israel, p. 18. * See Bonwick: Egyptian Belief, p. 78. 

2 Malachi iv. 5. 6 Faber : Orig. Pagan Idol, vol. iii. p. 612 ; 

3 Matthew xvii. 12,13. in Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 210. 






Jacob’s vision of the ladder. 


45 


The Indians had, in remote ages, in their system of theology, 
the sidereal ladder of seven gates , which described, in a symbolical 
manner, the ascending and descending of the souls of men. 1 

We are also informed by Origen that: 

“This descent (i. e., the descent of souls from heaven to enter into some body), 
was described in a symbolical manner, by a ladder which teas represented as reaching 
from heaven to earth, and divided into seven stages, at each of which was figured 
a gate; the eighth gate was at the top of the ladder, which belonged to the sphere 
of the celestial firmament.” 2 3 * 

That souls dwell in the Galaxy was a thought familiar to the 
Pythagoreans, who gave it on their master’s word, that the souls 
that crowd there, descend and appear to men as dreamsl 

The fancy of the Manicheans also transferred pure souls to this 
column of light, whence they could come down to earth and again 
return.* 

Paintings representing a scene of this hind may be seen in works 
of art illustrative of Indian Mythology . 

Maurice speaks of one, in which he says : 

“ The souls of men are represented as ascending and descending (on a ladder), 
according to the received opinion of the sidereal Metempsychosis in Asia.” 5 

Mons. Dupuis tells us that: 

“Among the mysterious pictures of the Initiation, in the cave of the Persian 
God Mithras, there was exposed to the view the descent of the souls to the earth, 
and their return to heaven, through the seven planetary spheres.” 6 

And Count de Yolney says : 

“ In the cave of Mithra was a ladder with seven steps , representing the seven 
spheres of the planets by means of which souls ascended and descended . This 
is precisely the ladder of Jacob’s vision. There is in the Royal Library (of 
France) a superb volume of pictures of the Indian gods, in which the ladder is 
represented with the souls of men ascending it.” 1 

In several of the Egyptian sculptures also, tlie Transmigration 
of Souls is represented by the ascending and descending of souls 
from heaven to earth, on a flight of steps, and, as the souls of 
wicked men were supposed to enter pigs and other animals, there¬ 
fore pigs, monkeys, &c., are to be seen on the steps, descending from 
heaven. 8 

“And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the'earth, and the top of it 
reached to heaven j and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." 


1 Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 262. 

3 Quoted by l)r. Prichard: Egyptian Mythol¬ 
ogy, p. 210. 

3 Tylor: Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 324. 

* Ibid. 


6 Indian Antiqities, vol. ii. p. 262. 

* Dupuis: Origin of Religious Beliefs, p. 344. 

7 Volney’s Ruins, p. 147, note. 

8 See Child’s Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. pp. 
1G0, 1G2. 





46 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


These are the words of the sacred text. Can anything be more 
convincing? It continues thus : 

“And Jacob awoke out of his sleep . . . and he was afraid, and said 

. . . this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven .” 

Here we have “ the gate of heaven,” mentioned by Origen in 
describing the Metempsychosis. 

According to the ancients, the top of this ladder was supposed 
to reach the throne of the most high God. This corresponds exactly 
with the vision of Jacob. The ladder which he is made to see 
reached unto heaven, and the Lord stood above it. 1 2 3 

“ And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that ho had 
put for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.”* 

This concluding portion to the story has evidently an allusion 
to Phallic 3 worship. There is scarcely a nation of antiquity 
which did not set up these stones (as emblems of the reproductive 
power of nature) and worship them. Dr. Oort, speaking of this, 
says : 

Few forms of worship were so universal in ancient times as the 
homage paid to sacred stones. In the history of the religion of even 
the most civilized peoples, such as the Greeks, Romans, Hindoos, 
Arabs and Germans, we find traces of this form of worship. 4 * 
The ancient Druids of Britain also worshiped sacred stones, which 
were set up on end. 6 

Pausanias, an eminent Greek historian, says : 

“ The Ilermiac statue, which they venerate in Cylleng above other symbols, 
is an erect Phallus on a pedestal.” 6 

This was nothing more than a smooth, oblong stone, set erect 
on a flat one. 7 

The learned Dr. Ginsburg, in his “ Life of Levita,” alludes to 
the ancient mode of worship offered to the heathen deity Hermes, 
or Mercury. A “ Hermes ” (i. e ., a stone ) w T as frequently set 
up on the road-side, and each traveller, as he passed by, paid his 
homage to the deity by either throwing a stone on the heap (which 
was thus collected), or by anointing it. This “Hermes” was 
the symbol of Phallus. 8 


1 Genesis xxviii. 12, 13. 

2 Genesis xxviii. 18, 19. 

3 “ Phallic,” from “ Phallus,” a representa¬ 
tion of the male generative organs. For further 
information on this subject, see the works of 
R. Payne Knight, and Dr. Thomas Inman. 

4 Bible for Learners, vol., i. pp. 175, 276. 

See, also, Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology; 

and Inman: Ancient Faiths, vol. i. and ii. 


6 See Myths of the British Druids, p. 300; 
and Higgins: Celtic Druids. 

6 Quoted by R. Payne Knight: Ancient Art 
and Mythology, p. 114, note. 

7 See Illustrations in Dr. Inman’s Pagan 
and Christian Symbolism. 

8 See Inman: Ancient Faiths, vol. i. pp. 
543, 544. 

















JACOB'S VISION OF THE LADDER. 


47 


Now, when we find that this form of worship ivas very 
prevalent among the Israelites / that these sacred stones which 
were “ set up,” were called (by the heathen), basty-li, 1 2 (which is 
not unlike beth-el), and that they were anointed icith oil , 3 I 
think we have reasons for believing that the story of Jacob’s setting 
up a stone, pouring oil upon it , and calling the place Beth-el , u has 
evidently an allusion to Phallic worship .” 4 

The male and female powers of nature were denoted respect¬ 
ively b} T an upright and an oval emblem, and the conjunction of 
the two furnished at once the altar and the Ashera , or grove, 
against which the Hebrew prophets lifted up their voices in earnest 
protest. In the kingdoms, both of Judah and Israel, the rites 
connected with these emblems assumed their most corrupting form. 
Even in the temple itself, stood the Ashera , or the upright emblem, 
on the circular altar of Baal-Peor, the Priapos of the Jews, thus 
reproducing the Linga and Yoni of the Hindu . 5 For this sym¬ 
bol, the women wove hangings, as the Athenian maidens embroid¬ 
ered the sacred peplos for the ship presented to Athene, at the 
great Dionysiac festival. This Ashera , which, in the authorized 
English version of the Old Testament is translated “grove” was, 
in fact, a pole, or stem of a tree. It is reproduced in our modern 
“Maypole,” around which maidens dance, as maidens did of 
yore . 6 


1 Bible for Learners, vol. i. pp. 177, 178, 817, 
321, 322, 

2 Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 356. 

3 Ibid. 

* We read in Bell’s “ Pantheon of the Gods 
and Demi-Gods of Antiquity,” under the head 
of Baelylion, Baelylia, or Baetylos, that 
they are “ Anointed Stones, worshiped among 
the Greeks, Phrygians, and other nations of 

the East;” that “ these Baetylia were greatly 
venerated by the ancient Heathen, many of 
their idols being no other;” and that, “ in re¬ 
ality no sort of idol was more common in the 
East, than that of oblong stones erected , and 
hence termed by the Greeks pillars." The 
Rev. Geo. W. Cox, in his Aryan Mythology 
(vol. ii. p. 113), says: “ The erection of these 
stone columns or pillars, the forms of which in 
most cases tell their own story, are common 
throughout the East, some of the most ela¬ 
borate being found near Ghizni.” And Mr. 
Wake (Phallism in Ancient Religions, p. 60), 
says: ‘‘Kiyun, or Kivan, the name of the 
deity said by Amos (v. 26), to have been wor¬ 
shiped in the wilderness by the Hebrews, 
signifies God of the pillar.” 

6 We find that there was nothing gross or im¬ 
moral in the worship of the male and female 


generative organs among the ancients, when 
the subject is properly understood. Being the 
most intimately connected with the reproduc¬ 
tion of life on earth, the Linga became the 
symbol under which the Sun, invoked with a 
thousand names, has been worshiped through¬ 
out the world as the restorer of the powers of 
nature after the long sleep or death of winter. 
But if the Linga is the Sun-god in his majesty, 
the Yoni is the earth who yields her fruit under 
his fertilizing warmth. 

The Phallic tree is introduced into the nar¬ 
rative of the book of Genesis: but it is here 
called a tree, not of life, but of the knowledge of 
good and evil, that knowledge which dawns in 
the mind with the first consciousness of differ¬ 
ence between man and woman. In contrast 
with this tree of carnal indulgence, tending to 
death, is the tree of life, denoting the higher 
existence for which man was designed, and 
which would bring with it the happiness and 
the freedom of the children of God. In the 
brazen serpent of the Pentateuch, the two 
emblems of the cross and serpent, the quies¬ 
cent and energising Phallos, are united. (See 
Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. pp. 113, 116, 
118.) 

• See Cox : Aryan Mytho., ii. 112,113. 



CHAPTER VI. 


THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT, AND PASSAGE THROUGH THE RED SEA. 

The children of Israel, who were in bondage in Egypt, mak¬ 
ing bricks, and working in the field , 1 2 were looked upon with com¬ 
passion by the Lord . 8 He heard their groaning, and remembered 
his covenant with Abraham , 3 with Isaac, and with Jacob. He, 
therefore, chose Moses (an Israelite, who had murdered an Egyp¬ 
tian , 4 and who, therefore, was obliged to flee from Egypt, as Pharaoh 
sought to punish him), as his servant, to carry out his plans. 

Moses was at this time keeping the flock of Jeruth, his father- 
in-law, in the land of Midian. The angel of the Lord, or the 
Lord himself, appeared to him there, and said unto him: 

“ I am the God of thy Father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and 
the God of Jacob. ... I have seen the affliction of my people which are in 
Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their tormentors; for I know their 
sorrows. And I am came down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians, 
and to bring them up out of that land into a good land acd a large, unto a land 
flowing with milk and honey. I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest 
bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." 

Then Moses said unto the Lord: 

“ Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, 
the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say unto me: 
What is his name ? What shall I say unto them ?” 

Then God said unto Moses: 

“I am that I am." 5 “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am 
hath sent me unto you .” 6 * 


1 Exodus i. 14. 

2 Exodus ii. 24, 25. 

3 Sec chapter x. 

4 Exodus ii. 12. 

5 The Egyptian name for God was “ Nvk- 

Pa-Nuk," or “I am that I am.” (Bonwick : 

Egyptian Belief, p. 395.) This name was found 

on a temple in Egypt. (Higgins : Anacalypsis, 
vol. ii. p. 17.) “ ‘ I am ’ was a Divine name 


understood by all the initiated among the 
Egyptians.” ‘‘The ‘I am’ of the Hebrews, 
and the Tam’ of the Egyptians are identical.” 
(Bunsen : Keys of St. Peter, p. 38.) The name 
“Jehovah," which was adopted by the He 
brews, was a name esteemed sacred among the 
Egyptians. They called it Y-ha-ho, or Y-ah* 


• Exodus iii. 1, 14. 





THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT. 


49 


And God said, moreover, unto Moses: 

“Go and gather the Elders of Israel together, and say unto them: the Lord 
God of your fathers . . . appeared unto me, saying: 4 1 have surely visited 

you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt. And I have said, I will 
bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt . . . unto a land flowing with 

milk and honey.’ And they shall hearken to thy voice, and thou shalt come, thou 
and the Elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him: 
‘ the Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us, and now let us go. we beseech 
thee, three days journey in the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our 
God.’ 1 

“i am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty 
hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders, 
which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will 
give this people (the Hebrews) favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it shall 
come to pass, that when ye go, ye shall not go empty. But evel'y woman shall 
borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of 
silver and jewels of gold, and raiment. And ye shall put them upon your sons 
and upon your daughters, and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.” 12 

The Lord again appeared unto Moses, in Midian, and said: 

“ Go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 
And Moses took his wife, and his son, and set them upon an ass, and he returned 
to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God (which the Lord had given 
him) in his hand.” 3 

Upon arriving in Egypt, Moses tells his brother Aaron, “allthe 
words of the Lord,” and Aaron tells all the children of Israel. 
Moses, who was not eloquent, but had a slow speech , 4 uses Aaron 
as his spokesman . 5 They then appear unto Pharaoh, and falsify, 
“ according to the commands of the Lordf saying : “ Let us go, we 
pray thee, three days’ journey in the desert , and sacrifice unto the 
Lord our God .” 0 

The Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart, so that he does not let the 
children of Israel go to sacrifice unto their God, in the desert. 


we ii. (See the Religion of Israel, pp. 42, 43; 
r.nd Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 329, and vol. ii. p. 
17.) “None dare to enter the temple of Sera- 
pis, who did not bear on his breast or forehead 
the name of Jao, or J-iia-ho, a name almost 
equivalent in sound to that of the Hebrew Je¬ 
hovah , and probably of identical import; and 
no name was uttered in Egypt with more rev¬ 
erence than this Iao.” (Trans, from the Ger. 
of Schiller, in Monthly Iiepos., vol. xx.; and 
Voltaire: Commentary on Exodus; Higgins’ 
Anne., vol. i. p. 329; vcl. ii. p. 17.) “Thatthis 
divine name was well-known to the Heathen 
there can be no doubt.” (Parkhurst: Hebrew 
Lex. in Anac., i. 327.) So also with the name 
El Shaddai “ The extremely common Egyp¬ 
tian expression Nutar Nutra exactly corre¬ 
sponds in sense to the Hebrew El Shaddai , the 

4 


very title by which God tells Moses he was 
known to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.” 
(Prof. Renouf: Relig. of Anc't Egypt, p. 
99.) 

1 Exodus iii. 15-18. 

2 Exodus iii. 19-22. Here is a command 
from the Lord to deceive , and lie , and steal, 
which, according to the narrative, was carried 
out to the letter (Ex. xii. 35, 36) ; and yet we 
are told that this same Lord said : “ Thou shalt 
not steal." (Ex. xx. 15.) Again he says: 
“ Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor , neither 
rob him." (Leviticus xix. 13.) Surely this is 
inconsistency. 

3 Exodus iv. 19,20. 

* Exodus iv. 10. 

5 Exodus iv. 16. 

* Exodus v. 3. 



50 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Moses and Aaron continue interceding with him, however, and, 
for the purpose of showing their miraculous powers, they change 
their rods into serpents, the river into blood, cause a plague of frogs 
and lice, and a swarm of flies, &c., &c., to appear. Most of these 
feats were imitated by the magicians of Egypt. Finally, the first¬ 
born of Egypt are slain, 'when Pharaoh, after having had his heart 
hardened, by the Lord, over and over again, consents to let Moses 
and the children of Israel go to serve their God, as they had said , 
that is, for three days. 

The Lord having given the people favor in the sight of the 
Egyptians, they borrowed of them jewels of silver, jewels of gold, 
and raiment, “ according to the commands of the Lord?' And 
they journeyed toward Succoth, there being six hundred thousand , 
besides children? 

“ And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the 
edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day, in a pillar of a 
cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light to 
go by day and night.” 1 2 

“And it was told the king of Egypt, that the people fled. . . . And he 

made ready his chariot, and took his people with him. And he took six hundred 
chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, . . . and he pursued after the 

children of Israel, and overtook them encamping beside the sea. . . . And 

when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel . . . were sore afraid, and 

. . . (they) cried out unto the Lord. . . . And the Lord said unto Moses, 

. . . speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. But lift thou 
up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the Red Sea, and divide it, and the 
children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. . . 

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, 3 and the Lord caused the sea to go 
back by a strong east wind that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters 
were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the 
dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them upon the right hand, and on their 
left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the 
sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, and his chariots, and his horse-men." 

After the children of Israel had landed on the other side of 
the sea, the Lord said unto Moses : 

“ Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon 
the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horse-men. And Moses 
stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength. 

And the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters 
returned, and covered the chariots, and the horse-men, and all the host of Pharaoh 


1 Exodus vii. 35-37. Bishop Colenso shows, 
in his Pentateuch Examined, how ridiculous 
this statement is. 

2 Exodus xiii. 20,21. 

3 “ The sea over which Moses stretches out 
his hand with the staff, and which he divides, 
so that the waters stand up on either side like 


walls while he passes through, must surely have 
been originally the Sea of Clouds. ... A 
German story presents a perfectly similar fea¬ 
ture. The conception of the cloud as sea, rock 
and wall, recurs very frequently in mythology,” 
(Prof. Steinthal: The Legend of Samson, p 
429.) 








THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT. 


51 


that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. 
But the children of Israel walked upon dry laud in the midst of the sea, and the 
waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. . . . And 
Israel saw the great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians, and the 
people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and his servant Moses.” 1 

The writer of this story, whoever he may have been, was evi¬ 
dently familiar with the legends related of the Sun-god, Bacchus , 
as he has given Moses the credit of performing some of the mira¬ 
cles which were attributed to that god. 

Is is related in the hymns of Orpheus , 2 that Bacchus had a 
rod with which he performed miracles, and which he could change 
into a serpent at pleasure. lie passed the Bed Sea , dry shod , at 
the head of his army. lie divided the waters of the rivers Oron- 
tes and Hydaspus, by the touch of his rod, and passed through 
them dry-shod . 3 * * By the same mighty wand, he drew water 
from the rocl'* and wherever they marched, the land flowed 
with wine, milk and honey . 6 

Professor Steintlial, speaking of Dionysus (Bacchus), says: 

Like Moses, he strikes fountains of wine and water out of the 
rock. Almost all the acts of Moses correspond to those of the 
Sun-gods . 6 

Mons. Dupuis says: 

“Among the different miracles of Bacchus and his Bacchantes, there are 
prodigies very similar to those which are attributed to Moses; for instance, such 
as the sources of water which the former caused to sprout from the innermost of 
the rocks.” 7 

In Bell’s Pantheon of the Gods and Heroes of Antiquity , 8 an 
account of the prodigies attributed to Bacchus is given; among 
these, are mentioned his striking water from the rock, with his 
magic wand, his turning a twig of ivy into a snake, his passing 
thr ugh the Bed Sea and the rivers Orontes and Hydaspus, and of 
his enjoying the light of the Sun ( while marching with his army 
in India), when the day was spent, and it was dark to others. All 
these are parallels too striking to be accidental. 

We might also mention the fact, that Bacchus, as well as Moses 


1 Exodus xiv. 5-13. 

2 Orpheus is said to have been the earliest 
poet of Greece, where he first introduced the 
rites of Bacchus, which he brought from Egypt. 
(See Roman Antiquities, p. 134.) 

3 The Hebrew fable writers not wishing to 

be outdone, have made the waters of the river 

Jordan to be divided to let Elijah and Elisha 


pass through (2 Kings ii. 8), and also the chil 
dren of Israel. (Joshua iii. 15-17.) 

4 Moses, with his rod, drew water from the 
rock. (Exodus xvii. 6.) 

5 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 191, and Higgins: 
Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19. 

6 The Legend of Samson, p. 420. 

2 Dupuis: Origin of Religious Beliefs, p. 165. 
s Vol. i. p. 122. 




52 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


was called the “ Law-giver ,” and that it was said of Bacchus, as 
well as of Moses, that his laws were written on two tables of 
stone . 1 Bacchus was represented horned , and so was Moses . 2 3 
Bacchus “ was picked up in a box, that floated on the water ,” 8 
and so was Moses . 4 Bacchus had two mothers, one by nature, and 
one by adoption , 5 and so had Moses . 6 And, as we have already 
seen, Bacchus and his army enjoyed the light of the Sun, during 
the night time, and Moses and his army enjoyed the light of “a 
pillar of fire, by night .” 7 

In regard to the children of Israel going out from the land of 
Egypt, we have no doubt that such an occurrence took place, 
although not in the manner, and not for such reasons, as is recorded 
by the sacred historian. AYe find, from other sources, what is evi¬ 
dently nearer the truth. 

It is related by the historian Choeremon, that, at one time, the 
land of Egypt was infested with disease, and through the advice of 
the sacred scribe Phritiphantes, the king caused the infected people 
(who were none other than the brick-making slaves, known as the 
children of Israel), to be collected, and driven out of the coun¬ 
try.* 

Lysimachus relates that: 

“ A filthy disease broke out in Egypt, and the Oracle of Ammon, being con¬ 
sulted on the occasion, commanded the king to purify the land by driving out the 
Jews (who were infected with leprosy, &c.), a race of men who were hateful to 
the Gods.” 9 The ichole multitude of the people were accordingly collected and driven 
out into the wilderness.” 10 

Diodorus Siculus , referring to this event, says: 

“In ancient times Egypt was afflicted with a great plague, which was attrib¬ 
uted to the anger of God, on account of the multitude of foreigners in Egypt: 
by whom the rites of the native religion were neglected. The Egyptians accord¬ 
ingly drove them out. The most noble of them went under Cadmus and Danaus 
to Greece, but the greater number followed Moses, a wise and valiant leader, to 
Palestine.” 11 


1 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 122; and Hig¬ 
gins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19. 

2 Ibid, and Dupuis : Origin of Religious Be¬ 
lief, p. 174. 

3 Taylor's Diegesis, p. 190 ; Bell’s Pantheon, 
vol. i. under “ Bacchus and Higgins: Anaca- 
lypsis ii. 19. 

4 Exodus ii. 1-11. 

6 Taylors Diegesis, p. 191 ; Bell’s Pantheon, 

vol. i. under “Bacchus;” and Higgins : p. 19, 

vol. ii. 


6 Exodus ii. 1-11. 

7 Exodus xiii. 20, 21. 

8 See Prichard’s Historical Records, p. 74; 
also Dunlap’s Spirit Hist., p. 40; and Cory's An¬ 
cient Fragments, pp. 80, 81, for similar ac¬ 
counts. 

9 “All persons afflicted with leprosy were 
considered displeasing in the sight of the Sun- 
god, by the Egyptians.” (Dunlap : Spirit Hist, 
p. 40.) 

10 Prichard's Historical Records, p. 75. 

Ibid. p. 78. 






THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT. 


53 


After giving the different opinions concerning the origin of the 
Jewish nation, Tacitus, the Roman historian, says: 

“ In this clash of opinions, one point seems to be universally admitted. A pesti¬ 
lential disease, disfiguring the race of man, and making the body an object of 
loathsome deformity, spread all over Egypt. Bocchoris, at that time the reigning 
monarch, consulted the oracle of Jupiter Ilammon, and received for answer, that 
the kingdom must be purified, by exterminating the infected multitude, as a race 
of men detested by the gods. After diligent search, the wretched sufferers were 
collected together, and in a wild and barren desert abandoned to their misery. 
In that distress, while the vulgar herd was sunk in deep despair, Moses, one of 
their number, reminded them, that, by the wisdom of his councils, they had been 
already rescued out of impending danger. Deserted as they were by men and 
gods, he told them, that if they did not repose their confidence in him, as their 
chief by divine commission, they had no resource left. His offer was accepted. 
Their march began, they knew not whither. Want of water was their chief 
distress. Worn out with fatigue, they lay stretched on the bare earth, heart¬ 
broken, ready to expire, when a troop of wild asses, returning from pasture, 
went up the steep ascent of a rock covered with a grove of trees. The verdure 
of the herbage round the place suggested the idea of springs near at hand. 
Moses traced the steps of the animals, and discovered a plentiful vein of water. 
By this relief the fainting multitude was raised from despair. They pursued 
their journey for six days without intermission. On the seventh day they made 
halt, and, having expelled the natives, took possession of the country, where 
they built their city, and dedicated their temple.” 1 

Other accounts, similar to these, might be added, among which 
may be mentioned that given by Manetho, an Egyptian priest, which 
is referred to by Josephus, the Jewish historian. 

Although the accounts quoted above are not exactly alike, yet 
the main points are the same , which are to the effect that Egypt 
was infected with disease owing to the foreigners (among whom 
were those who were afterwards styled “ the children of Israel”) that 
were in the country, and who were an unclean people, and that they 
were accordingly driven out into the wilderness. 

When we compare this statement with that recorded in Genesis, 
it does not take long to decide which of the two is nearest the 
truth. 

Everything putrid, or that had a tendency to putridity, was care¬ 
fully avoided by the ancient Egyptians, and so strict were the 
Egyptian priests on this point, that they wore no garments made 
of any animal substance, circumcised themselves, and shaved 
their whole bodies, even to their eyebrows, lest they should un¬ 
knowingly harbor any filth, excrement or vermin, supposed to be 
bred from putrefaction . 2 We know from the laws set down in 
Leviticus , that the Hebrews were not a remarkably clean race. 


1 Tacitus : Hist, book v. ch. iii. and Kenrick's Egypt, vol. i. p. 447. “The 

8 Knight : Anc’t Art and Mythology, p. 89, cleanliness of the Egyptian priests was extreme. 



54 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Jewish priests, in making a history fov their race , have given 
ns but a shadow of truth here and there; it is almost wholly 
mythical. The author of “ The Keligion of Israel,” speaking on 
this subject, says: 

“The history of the religion of Israel must start from the sojourn of the 
Israelites in Egypt. Formerly it was usual to take a much earlier starting-point, 
and to begin with a religious discussion of the religious ideas of the Patmai chs. 
And this was perfectly right, so long as the accounts of Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob were considered historical. Eat now that a strict investigation has shown us 
that all these stories are entirely unhistorical, of course we have to begin the his¬ 
tory later on.” 1 

The author of “ The Spirit History of Man,” says : 

“The Hebrews came out of Egypt and settled among the Canaanites. They 
need not be traced beyond the Exodus. That is their historical beginning. It was 
very easy to cover up this remote event by the recital of mythical traditions, 
and to prefix to it an account of their origin in which the gods (Patriarchs), 
should figure as their ancestors.” 2 

Professor Goldzhier says: 

‘ ‘ The residence of the Hebrews in Egypt, and their exodus thence under the 
guidance and training of an enthusiast for the freedom of his tribe, form a series 
of strictly historical facts, which find confirmation even in the documents of 
ancient Egypt (which we have just shown). But the traditional narratives of 
these events (were) elaborated by the Hebrew people.”* 

Count de Yolney also observes that: 

“What Exodus saj r s of their (the Israelites) servitude under the king of 
Heliopolis, and of the oppression of their hosts, the Egyptians, is extremely 
probable. It is here their history begins. All that precedes ... is nothing but 
mythology and cosmogony .” 4 

In speaking of the sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt, Dr. Knap- 
pert says: 

“According to the tradition preserved in Genesis, it was the promotion o" 
Jacob’s son, Joseph, to be viceroy of Egypt, that brought about the migration of 
the sons of Israel from Canaan to Goshen. The story goes that this Joseph was sold 
as a slave by his brothers, and after many changes of fortune received the vice¬ 
regal office at Pharaoh’s hands through his skill in interpreting dreams. Famine 
drives his brothers—and afterwards his father—to him, and the Egyptian prince 
gives them the land of Goshen to live in. It is by imagining all this that the 


They shaved their heads, and every three days 
shaved their whole bodies. They bathed two or 
three times a day, often in the night also. They 
wore garments of white linen, deeming it more 
cleanly than cloth made from the hair of ani¬ 
mals. If they had occasion to wear a woolen 
cloth or mantle, they put it off before entering 
a temple ; so scrupulous were they that noth¬ 
ing impure should come into the presence of 
the gods.” (Prog, Eelig. Ideas, i. 168.) 


“Thinking it better to be clean than hand¬ 
some, the (Egyptian) priests shave their whole 
body every third day, that neither lice nor any 
other impurity may be found upon them when 
engaged in the service of the gods.” (Herodo¬ 
tus : book ii. ch. 37.) 

1 The Religion of Israel, p. 27. 

2 Dunlap : Spirit Hist, of Man, p. 26G. 

3 Hebrew Mythology, p. 23. 

4 Researches in Ancient History, p. 149. 





THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT. 


55 


legend triei to account for the fact that Israel passed some time in Egypt. But wo 
must look for the real explanation in a migration of certain tribes which could 
not establish or maintain themselves in Canaan, and were forced to movo 
further on. 

“We find a passage in Flavius Josephus, from which it appears that in 
Egypt, too, a recollection survived of the sojourn of some foreign tribes in the 
north-eastern district of the country. For this writer gives us two fragments 
out of a lost work by Manctho, a priest, who lived about 250 b. c. Iu one of 
these we have a statement that pretty nearly agrees with the Israelitisli tradition 
about a sojourn in, Goshen. But the Israelites were loolced dozen on by the Egyp¬ 
tians as foreigners, and they are represented as lepers and unclean. Moses himself 
is mentioned by name, and we are told that he was a priest and joined himself 
to these lepers and gave them laws.” 1 

To return now to tlie story of the Red Sea being divided to let 
Moses and his followers pass through—of which we have already 
seen one counterpart in the legend related of Bacchus and his army 
passing through the same sea dry-shod—there is another similar 
story concerning Alexander the Great. 

The histories of Alexander relate that the Pamphylian Sea was 
divided to let him and his army pass through. Josephus, after 
speaking of the Red Sea being divided for the passage of the 
Israelites, says : 

“ For the sake of those who accompanied Alexander, king of Macedonia, w t 1io 
yet lived comparatively but a little while ago, the Pamphylian Sea retired and 
offered them a passage through itself; when they had no other way to go . . . 

and this is confessed to be true by all who have written about the actions of Alex¬ 
ander”' 2 


He seems to consider both legends of the same authority, 
quoting the latter to substantiate the former. 

“ Callisthenes, who himself accompanied Alexander in the ex¬ 
pedition,” “ wrote, how the Pamphylian Sea did not only open a 
passage for Alexander, but, rising and elevating its waters, did pay 
him homage as its king .” 3 

It is related in Egyptian mythology that Isis was at one time on 
a journey with the eldest child of the king of Byblos, when coming 
to the river Plioedrus, which was in a “ rough air,” and wishing to 


1 The Religion of Israel, pp. 31,32. 

2 Jewish Antiq. bk. ii. ch. xvi. 

s Ibid. note. 

“ It was said that the waters of the Pam¬ 
phylian Sea miraculously opened a passage for 
the army of Alexander the Great. Admiral 
Beaufort, however, tells us that, ‘ though there 
are no tides in this part of the Mediterranean, 
considerable depression of the sea is caused 


by long-continued north winds; and Alexander, 
taking advantage of such a moment, may have 
dashed on without impedimentand we accept 
the explanation as a matter of course. But the 
waters of the Red Sea are said to have miracu¬ 
lously opened a passage for the children of 
Israel; and we insist on the literal truth of this 
story, and reject natural explanations as mon¬ 
strous.” (Matthew Arnold ) 



56 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


cross, she commanded the stream to be dried up. This being done 
she crossed without trouble. 1 

There is a Hindoo fable to the effect that when the infant 
Crishna was being sought by the reigning tyrant of Madura (King 
Kansa) 2 his foster-father took him and departed out of the country. 
Coming to the river Yumna, and wishing to cross, it was divided 
for them by the Lord, and they passed through. 

The story is related by Thomas Maurice, in his “ History of 
Ilindostan,” who has taken it from the Bhagavat Pooraun. It is 
as follows: 

“ Y T asodha took the child Crislina, and carried him off (from where lie was 
horn), but, coming to the river Yumna, directly opposite to Gokul, Crislina’s 
father perceiving the current to be very strong, it being in the midst of the rainy 
season, and not knowing which way to pass it, Crishna commanded the water to 
give way on both sides to his father, who accordingly passed dry-footed, across the 
river.” 3 

This incident is illustrated in Plate 58 of Moore’s “ Hindu 
Pantheon.” 

There is another Hindoo legend, recorded in the Rig Veda , and 
quoted by Viscount Amberly, from whose work we take it, 4 to 
the effect that an Indian sage called Visvimati, having arrived at a 
river which he wished to cross, that holy man said to it: “ Listen 
to the Bard who has come to you from afar with wagon and chariot. 
Sink down, become fordable, and reach not up to our chariot axles.” 
The river answers: “I will bow down to thee like a woman with 
full breast (suckling her child), as a maid to a man, will I throw my¬ 
self open to thee.” 

This is accordingly done, and the sage passes through. 

We have also an Indian legend which relates that a courtesan 
named Bindumati, turned back the streams of the river Ganges . 5 

We see then, that the idea of seas and rivers being divided 
for the purpose of letting some chosen one of God pass through, 
is an old one peculiar to other peoples beside the Hebrews, and 
the probability is that many nations had legends of this kind. 

That Pharaoh and his host should have been drowned in the 
Ked Sea, and the fact not mentioned by any historian, is simply 
impossible, especially when they have, as we have seen, noticed the 
fact of the Israelites being driven out of Egypt. 6 Dr. Inman, 
speaking of this, says : 


i See Prichard’s Egyptian Mytho. p. CO. « Analysis Relig. Belief, p. 552. 

3 See ch. xviii. 6 See Hardy : Buddhist Legends, p. 140. 

3 Hist. Hiudostan, vol. ii. p. 312. 4 In a cave discovered at Deir-el-Bahari 








THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT. 


57 


“We seek in vain amongst the Egyptian hieroglyphs for scenes which recall 
such cruelties as those we read of in the Hebrew records; and in the writings 
which have hitherto been translated, we find nothing resembling the wholesale 
destructions described and applauded by the Jewish historians, as perpetrated 
by their own people.” 1 

That Pharaoh should have pursued a tribe of diseased slaves, 
whom he had driven out of his country , is altogether improbable. 
In the words of Dr. Knappert, we may conclude, by saying that: 

“ This story, which was not writ ten until more than fixe hundred years after the 
exodus itself, can lay no claim to he considered historical.” 3 


(Aug., 1881), near Thebes, in Egypt, was found 
thirty-nine mummies of royal and priestly per¬ 
sonages. Among these was King Ramses II., 
the third king of the Nineteenth Dynasty, and 
the veritable Pharoah of the Jewish captivity. 
It is very strange that, he should be here, among 
a number of other kings, if he had been lost in 
the Red Sea. The mummy is wrapped in rose- 


colored and yellow linen of a texture finer than 
the finest Indian muslin, upon which lotus 
flowers are strewn. It is in a perfect state of 
perservation. (See a Cairo [Aug. 8th] letter to 
the London Times.) 

1 Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 58. 

2 The Religion of Israel, p. 41. 



CHAPTER VII. 




RECEIVING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

The receiving of the Ten Commandments by Moses, from the 
Lord, is recorded in the following manner: 

“In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the 
land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai, . . . 

and there Israel camped before the Mount. . . . 

“ And it came to pass on the third day that there were thunders and lightnings, 
and a thick cloud upon the Mount, and the voice of the tempest exceedingly 
loud, so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. . . . 

“ And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended 
upon it in fire, and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and 
the whole Mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the tempest sounded 
long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a 
voice. 

4 ‘ And the Lord came down upon the Mount, and called Moses up to the top of 
the Mount, and Moses went up.” 1 

The Lord there communed with him, and “ he gave unto 
Moses .... two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with 
the finger of God.” 2 

When Moses came down from off the Mount, he found the 
children of Israel dancing around a golden calf, which his brother 
Aaron had made, and, as his “ anger waxed hot,” he cast the tables 
of stone on the ground, and broke them. 3 Moses again saw the 
Lord on the Mount, however, and received two more tables of 
stone. 4 When he came down this tiihe from off Mount Sinai, 
“ the skin of his face did shine.” 5 


1 Exodus xix. 

2 Exodus xxxi. 18. 

3 Exodus xxii. 19. 

4 Exodus xxxiv. 

* Ibid. 


It was a common belief among ancient 
Pagan nations that the gods appeared and 
conversed with men. As an illustration we may 
cite the following, related by Herodotus, the 
Grecian historian, who, in speaking of Egypt 
and the Egyptians, says : “ There is a large city 


called Chemmis, situated in the Thebaic dis¬ 
trict, near Neapolis, in which is a quadrangular 
temple dedicated to (the god) Perseus, son of 
(the Virgin) Danae ; palm-trees grow round it, 
and the portico is of stone, very spacious, and 
over it are placed two large stone statues. In 
this inclosure is a temple, and in it is placed a 
statue of Perseus. The Chemmitae (or inhabi¬ 
tants of Chemmis), affirm that Perseus has fre¬ 
quently appeared to them on earth,and frequently 
within the temple (Herodotus, bk. ii. cU. 91.) 






THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 


59 


These two tables of stone contained the Ten Commandments ,* 
so it is said, which the Jews and Christians of the present day are 
supposed to take for their standard. 

They are, in substance, as follows : 

1— To have no other God but Jehovah. 

2— To make no image for purpose of worship. 

3— Not to take Jehovah’s name in vain. 

4— Not to work on the Sabbath-day. 

5— To honor their parents. 

G—Not to kill. 

7— Not to commit adultery. 

8— Not to steal. 

9— Not to bear false witness against a neighbor. 

10—Not to covet. 8 

We have already seen, in the last chapter, that Bacchus was 
called the “ Law-giver , ” and that his laws were written on two 
tables of stone? This feature in the Hebrew legend was evi¬ 
dently copied from that related of Bacchus, but, the idea of his 
(Moses) receiving the commandments from the Lord on a mountain 
was obviously taken from the Persian legend related of Zoroaster. 

Prof. Max Muller says : 

“What applies to the religion of Moses applies to that of Zoroaster. It is 
placed before us as a complete system from the first, revealed by AKuramazda 
(Ormuzd), proclaimed by Zoroaster .” 4 

4 

The disciples of Zoroaster, in their profusion of legends of 
the master, relate that one day, as he prayed on a high mountain , 
in the midst of thunders and lightnings (“ lire from heaven ”), the 
Lord himself appeared before him, and delivered unto him the 
“ Book of the Law.” While the King of Persia and the people 
were assembled together, Zoroaster came down from the mountain 
unharmed, bringing with him the “ Book of the Law,” which had 
been revealed to him by Ormuzd. They call this book the 7/tnd,- 
Avesta , which signifies the Living Word? 


1 Buddha , the founder of Buddhism, had 
ten commandments. 1. Not to kill. 2. Not to 
steal. 3. To be chaste. 4. Not to bear false 
witness. 5. Not to lie. C. Not to swear. 7. 
To avoid impure words. 8. To be disinterested. 
9. Not to avenge one's-self. 10. Not to be su¬ 
perstitious. (See Hue’s Travels, p. 328, vol. i.) 

3 Exodus xx. Dr. Oort says : 44 The original 
ten commandments probably ran as follows : I 
Yahwah am your God. Worship no other 
gods beside me. Make no image of a god. 
Commit no perjury. Iiemember to keep holy 


the Sabbath day. Honor your fatV,r and your 
mother. Commit no murder. Jjr.eak not the 
marriage vow. Steal not. Bear nc false wit¬ 
ness. Covet not.” (Bible for Learners, vol. i. 

p. 18.) 

3 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 122. Higgins, 
vol. ii. p. 19. Cox: Aryan Mytbo. vol. ii. p. 
295. 

4 Muller: Origin of Rebgiou p. 133. 

6 See Prog. Relig. Id's.6, yo\ i. pp. 257, 258 
This book, the Zent* A b e: mi Jar, in 

many respects, to th* I'tdjj tf the Hindoos. 





60 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


According to the religion of the Cretans, Minos, their law-giver, 
ascended a mountain (Mount Dicta) and there received from the 
Supreme Lord (Zeus) the sacred laws which lie brought down with 
him. * 1 

Almost all nations of antiquity have legends of their holy men 
ascending a mountain to ask counsel of the gods, such places 
being invested with peculiar sanctity, and deemed nearer to the 
deities than other portions of the earth. 2 

According to Egyptian belief, it is Thotli, the Deity itself, that 
speaks and reveals to his elect among men the will of God and the 
arcana of divine things. Portions of them are expressly stated 
to have been written by the very finger of Thotli himself; to 
have been the work and composition of the great god. 3 

Diodorus, the Grecian historian, says : 

The idea promulgated by the ancient Egyptians that their laws 
were received direct from the Most High God, has been adopted 
with success by many other law givers , who have thus insured re¬ 
spect for their institutions . 4 

The Supreme God of the ancient Mexicans was Tczcatlipoca 
He occupied a position corresponding to the Jehovah of the Jews, 
the Brahma of India, the Zeus of the Greeks, and the Odin of the 
Scandinavians. His name is compounded of Tezcatepec, the name 
of a mountain (upo7i which he is said to have manifested himself 
to man) till , dark, and poca , smoke. The explanation of this des¬ 
ignation is given in the Codex Vaticanus , as follows: 

This has led many to believe that Zoroaster 
was a Brahman ; among these are Rawlinson 
(See Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 831) 
and Thomas Maurice. (See Indian Antiquities, 
vol. ii. p. 219.) 

The Persians themselves had a tradition 
that he came from some country to the East 
of them. That he was a foreigner is indicated 
by a passage in the Zend-Avesta which repre¬ 
sents Ormuzd as saying to him: “ Thou, O Zoro¬ 
aster, by the promulgation of my law, ehalt 
restore to me my former glory, which was pure 
light. Up ! haste thee to the land of Iran, 
which thirsteth after the law, and say, thus 
said Ormuzd, &c.” (See Prog. Relig. Ideas, 
vol. i. p. 2G3.) 

1 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 301. 

2 “The deities of the Hindoo Pantheon 

dwell on the sacred Mount Mcru ; the gods of 
Persia ruled from Albordj ; the Greek Jove 
thundered from Olympus; and the Scandina¬ 
vian gods made Asgard awful with their pres¬ 
ence. . . . Profane history is full of exam¬ 
ples attesting the attachment to high places for 
purpose of sacrifice.” (Squire* . Gerpent Sym¬ 

bols, p. 78.) 


“ The offerings of the Chinese to the deities 
were generally on the summits of high moun¬ 
tains, as they seemed to them to be nearer 
heaven, to the majesty of which they were to 
be offered.” (Christmas's Mytho. p. 250, in 
Ibid.) “In the infancy of civilization, high 
places were chosen by the people to offer sac¬ 
rifices to the gods. The first altars, the first 
temples, were erected on mountains.” (Hum¬ 
boldt : American Researches.) The Himalayas 
are the “ Heavenly mountains." In Sanscrit 
Ilimala, corresponding to the M. Gothic, Hi- 
inins ; Alem., Himil; Ger., Swed., and Dan., 
Ilimmel; Old Norse, Himin ; Dutch, Hemet; 
Ang.-Sax., ]leaf on ; Eng., Heaven. (See Mal¬ 
let’s Northern Antiquities, p. 42.) 

3 Bunsen’s Egypt, quoted in Isis Unveiled, 
vol. ii. p. 3G7. Mrs. Child says : “The laws of 
Egypt were handed down from the earliest 
times, and regarded with the utmost veneration 
as a portion of religion. Their first legislator 
represented them as dictated by the gods them¬ 
selves, and framed expressly for the benefit of 
mankind by their secretary Thoth." (Prog. 
Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 173.) 

4 Quoted in Ibid. 



THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 


01 


Tezcatlipoca was one of their most potent deities; they say he 
once appeared on the top of a mountain. They paid him great 
reverence and adoration, and addressed him, in their prayers, as 
“Lord, whose servant we are.” No man ever saw his face, for he 
appeared only “ as a shade.” Indeed, the Mexican idea of the 
godhead was similar to that of the Jews. Like Jehovah, Tezcat¬ 
lipoca dwelt in the “ midst of thick darkness.” When he descend¬ 
ed upon the mount of Tezcatepcc , darkness overshadowed- the 
earth , while fire and. water , in mingled streams , flowed' f rom be¬ 
neath his feet , from its summit .* 

Thus, we see that other nations, beside the Hebrews, believed 
that their laws were actually received from God, that they had 
legends to that effect, and that a mountain figures conspicuously 
in the stories. 

Professor Oort, speaking on this subject, says: 

“No one who has any knowledge of antiquity will be surprised at this, for 
similar beliefs were very common. All peoples who had issued from a life of 
barbarism and acquired regular political institutions, more or less elaborate 
laws, and established worship, and maxims of morality, attributed all this— 
their birth as a nation, so to speak—to one or more great men, all of whom, 
without exception, were supposed to have received their knowledge from some deity. 

“Whence did Zoroaster, the prophet of the Persians, derive his religion? 
According to the beliefs of his followers, and the doctrines of their sacred writ¬ 
ings, it was from Aliuramazda, the God of light. Why did the Egyptians repre¬ 
sent the god Thoth with a writing tablet and a pencil in his hand, and honor him 
especially as the god of the priests? Because he was ‘ the Lord of the divine Word,’ 
the foundation of all wisdom, from whose inspiration the priests, who were the 
scholars, the lawyers, and the religious teachers of the people, derived all their 
wisdom. Was not Minos, the law-giver of the Cretans, the friend of Zeus, the 
highest of the gods? Nay, was he not even his son, and did he not ascend to the 
sacred cave on Mount Dicte to bring down the laws which his god had placed 
there for him? From whom did the Spartan law-giver, Lycurgus, himself say 
that he had obtained his laws? From no other than the god Apollo. The Roman 
legend, too. in honoring Numa Pompilius as the people’s instructor, at the same 
time ascribed all his wisdom to his intercourse with the nymph Egeria. It. was 
the same elsewhere; and to make one more example,—this from later times— 
Mohammed not oni} r believed himself to have been called immediately by God 
to be the prophet of the Arabs, but declared that he had received every page of 
the Koran from the hand of the angel Gabriel.” 2 


1 See Squire’s Serpent Symbol, p. 175. 


3 Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 301. 




CHAPTER VIII. 


SAMSON AND HIS EXPLOITS. 

This Israelite liero is said to have been born at a time when the 
children of Israel were in the hands of the Philistines. Ilis 
mother, who had been barren for a number of years, is entertained 
by an angel, who informs her that she shall conceive, and bear a 
son , 1 and that the child shall be a Nazarite unto God, from the 
womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the 
Philistines. 

According to the prediction of the angel, “ the woman bore a 
son, and called his name Samson • and the child grew, and the 
Lord blessed him.” 

“And Samson (after he had grown to man’s estate), went down to Timnath, 
and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came 
up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath 
of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore get her for me to wife.” 


1 The idea of a woman conceiving, and bear¬ 
ing a son in her old age, seems to have been a 
Hebrew peculiarity, as a number of their rc- 
markable personages were born, so it is said, of 
parents well advanced in years, or of a woman 
who was supposed to have been barren. As 
illustrations, we may mention this case of Sam- 
son , and that of Joseph being born of Rachel. 
The beautiful Rachel, who was so much beloved 
by Jacob, her husband, was barren, and she 
bore him no sons. This caused grief and dis¬ 
content on her part, and anger on the part of 
her husband. In her old age, however, she 
bore the wonderful child Joseph. (See Genesis, 
xxx. 1-29.) 

Isaac was born of a woman (Sarah) who had 
been barren many years. An angel appeared 
to her when her lord (Abraham) “ was ninety 
years old and nine,” and informed her that she 
would conceive and bear a son. (See Gen. xvi.) 

Samuel , the “ holy man,” was also born of 
a woman (Hannah) who had been barren many 
years. In grief, she prayed to the Lord for a 
child, and was finally comforted by receiving 
her wish. (See 1 Samuel, i. 1-20.) 

John the Baptist was also a miraculously con¬ 
ceived infant. His mother, Elizabeth, bore 




him in her old age. An angel also informed her 
and her husband Zacliariah, that this event 
would take place. (See Luke, i. 1-25.) 

Mary , the mother of Jesus, was born of a 
woman (Anna) who was “ old and stricken in 
years,” and who had been barren all her life. 
An angel appeared to Anna and her husband 
(Joachim), and told them what was about to 
take place. (See ‘ ‘ The Gospel of Mary,” Apoc.) 

Thus we see, that the idea of a wonderful 
child being born of a woman who had passed 
the age which nature had destined for her to 
bear children, and who had been barren all her 
life, was a favorite one among the Hebrews. 
The idea that the ancestors of a race lived to a 
fabulous old age, is also a familiar one among 
the ancients. 

Most ancient nations relate in their fables 
that their ancestors lived to be very old men. 
For instance ; the Persian patriarch Kaiomaras 
reigned 560 years ; Jemshid reigned 300 years ; 
Jahmurash reigned 700 years ; Dahak reigned 
1000 years ; Feridun reigned 120 years ; Manu- 
geher reigned 500 years; Kaikans reigned 150 
years; and Bahaman reigned 112 years. (See 
Dunlap : Son of the Man, p. 155, note.) 








SAMSON AND HIS EXPLOITS. 


63 


Samson’s father and mother preferred that he should take a 
woman among the daughters of their own tribe, but Samson wished 
for the maid of the Philistines, “for,” said he, “she pleaseth me 

well.” 

The parents, after coming to the conclusion that it was the will 
of the Lord, that he should marry the maid of the Philistines, 
consented. 

“ Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and 
came to the vineyards of Timnath, and, behold, a young lion roared against him 
(Samson). And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent 
him (the lion) as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand.” 

This was Samson’s first exploit, which he told not to any one, 
not even his father, or his mother. 

lie then continued on his way, and went down and talked with 
the woman, and she pleased him well. 

And, after a time, he returned to take her, and he turned aside 
to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, “ there was a swarm of 
bees, and honey, in the carcass of the lion.” 

Samson made a feast at his wedding, which lasted for seven 
days. At this feast, there were brought thirty companions to be 
with him, unto whom he said: “ I will now put forth a riddle 

unto you, if ye can certainly declare it me, within the seven days 
of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets, 
and thirty changes of garments. But, if ye cannot declare it 
me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets, and thirty changes of gar¬ 
ments.” And they said unto him, “Put forth thy riddle, that we 
may hear it.” And he answered them : “ Out of the eater came 

forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness.” 

This riddle the thirty companions could not solve. 

“ And it came t»o pass, on the seventh day, that they said unto 
Samson’s wife: ‘ Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto 

us the riddle.’ ” 

She accordingly went to Samson, and told him that he could not 
love her ; if it were so, he would tell her the answer to the riddle. 
After she had wept and entreated of him, he finally told her, and she 
gave the answer to the children of her people. “ And the men of 
the city said unto him, on the seventh day, before the sun went 
down, i What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a 
lion?’ ” 

Samson, upon hearing this, suspected how they managed to find 
out the answer, whereupon he said unto them: “If ye had not 
ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.” 


G4 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


Samson was then at a loss to know where to get the thirty 
sheets, and the thirty changes of garments ; but, “ the spirit of the 
Lord came upon him, and lie went down to Ashkelon, and slew 
thirty men of them , and took their spoil, and gave change of gar¬ 
ments unto them which expounded the riddle.” 

This was the hero’s second exploit. 

His anger being kindled, he went up to his father’s house, in¬ 
stead of returning to his wife . 1 But it came to pass, that, after a 
while, Samson repented of his actions, and returned to his wife's 
house, and wished to go in to his wife in the chamber ; but her 
father would not suffer him to go. And her father said : “ I 
verily thought that thou liadst utterly hated her, therefore, I gave 
her to thy companion. Is not her younger sister fairer than she ? 
Take her, I pray thee, instead of her.” 

This did not seem to please Samson, even though the younger 
was fairer than the older, for he “ went and caught three hundred 
foxes, and took firebrands, and turned (the foxes) tail to tail, and 
put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. And when he had 
set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the 
Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and also the standing 
corn, with the vineyards and olives.” 

This was Samson’s third exploit. 

When the Philistines found their corn, their vineyards, and 
their olives burned, they said: “ Who hath done this?” 

“ And they answered, ‘ Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he had 
taken his wife, and given her to his companion.’ And the Philistines came up, 
and burned her and her father with fire. And Samson said unto them: * Though 
ye have done this, yet will I he avenged of you, and after that I will cease.’ And 
he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, and he went and dwelt in the 
top of the rock Etam.” 

This “great slaughter ” was Samson’s fourth exploit. 

“ Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves 
in Lehi. And the men of Judah said: ‘ Why are ye come up against us?’ And 
they answered: ‘To bind Samson are we come up, and to do to him as he hath 
done to us.’ Then three thousand men of Judah went up to the top of the 
rock Etam, and said to Samson: ‘ Knowest thou not that the Philistines are 

rulers over us? What is this that thou hast done unto us ?’ And he said 
unto them: ‘As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.’ And they 
said unto him: “We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee 
into the hands of the Philistines.’ And Samson said unto them: ‘Swear 
unto me that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.’ And they spake unto him, 
saying, ‘ No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hands: but 
surely we will not kill tliee.’ And they bound him with two new cords, and 


1 Judges, xiv. 




I 


SAMSON AND IIIS EXPLOITS. 


05 


brought him up from the rock. And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines 
shouted against him; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and 
the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burned with fire, and his 
bands loosed from off his hands. And he found a new jaw-bone of an ass, and put 
forth his hand and took it, and slew a thousand men with it.” 

This was Samson’s fifth exploit. 

After slaying a thousand men he was “ sore athirst,” and called 
unto the Lord. And “ God clave a hollow place that was in the 
jaw, and there came water thereout, and when he had drunk, his 
spirit came again, and he revived .” 1 

“ Then went Samson to Gaza and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her. 
And it was told the Gazites, saying, ‘ Samson is come hither.’ And they com¬ 
passed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were 
quiet all the night, saying: ‘ In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.’ 
And Samson lay (with the harlot) till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took 
the doors of the gate of the city, aud the two posts, and went away with them, 
bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of 
a hill that is in Hebron.” 

This was Samson’s sixth exploit. 

“And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of 
Soreck, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto 
her, and said unto her: ‘Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, 
and b} r what means we may prevail against him.’ ” 

Delilah then began to entice Samson to tell her wherein his 

O 

strength lay. 

“ She pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was 
vexed unto death. Then he told her all his heart, and said unto her: ‘There 
hath not come a razor upon mine head, fori have been a Nazarite unto God from 
my mother’s womb. If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I 
shall become weak, and be like any other man.’ And when Delilah saw that he 
had told her all his heart, she went and called for the lords of the Philistines, 
saying: ‘ Come up this once, for lie hath showed me all his heart.’ Then the 
lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hands 
(for her). 

“And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a 
man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began 
to alflicJt him, and his strength went from him.” 

The Philistines then took him, put out his eyes, and put him 
in jnison. And being gathered together at a great sacrifice in honor 
of their God, Dagon, they said: “ Call for Samson, that he may 
make us sport.” And they called for Samson, and he made them 
sport. 

“ And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I 
may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. 


1 Judges, xv. 





60 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philis¬ 
tines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and 
women, that beheld while Samson made sport. 

“And Samson called unto the Lord, and said: ‘ O Lord God, remember me, 
I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, 0 God, that I may 
be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.’ 

“And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house 
stood and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the 
other with his left. And Samson said: ‘ Let me die with the Philistines.’ And 
he bowed himself with all his might; and (having regained his strength) the 
house fell upon the lords, and upon the people that were therein. So the dead 
which he slew at his death, were more than they which he slew in his life.” 1 

Thus ended the career of the “ strong man ” of the Hebrews. 

That this story is a copy of the legends related of Hercules, or 
that they have both been copied from similar legends existing 
among some other nations , 2 is too evident to be disputed. Many 
churchmen have noticed the similarity between the history of 
Samson and that of Hercules. In Chambers’s Encylopsedia, under 
“ Samson,” we read as follows : 

“ It has been matter of most contradictory speculations, how far liis existence 
is to be taken as a reality, or, in other words, what substratum of historical 
truth there may be in this supposed circle of popular legends, artistically rounded 
off, in the four chapters of Judges which treat of him. . . . 

“The miraculous deeds he performed have taxed the ingenuity of many 
commentators, and the text has been hoisted and turned in all directions, to 
explain, rationally, his slaying those prodigious numbers single-handed; his 
carrying the gates of Gaza, in one night, a distance of about fifty miles, &c., &c.” 

That this is simply a Solar myth, no one will doubt, we believe, 
who will take the trouble to investigate it. 

Prof. Goldzhier, who has made “ Comparative Mythology ” 
a special study, says of this story : 

“The most complete and rounded-off Solar myth extant in Hebrew, is that 
of Shimshon (Samson), a cycle of mythical conceptions fully comparable with 
the Greek myth of Hercules.” 3 

We shall now endeavor to ascertain if such is the case, by 
comparing the exploits of Samson with those of Hercules. 

The first wonderful act performed by Samson was, as we have 
seen, that of slaying a lion. This is said to have happened when 
he was but a youth. So likewise was it with Hercules. At the 
age of eighteen, he slew an enormous lion . 4 

The valley of Nemea was infested by a terrible lion ; Eurystheus 
ordered Hercules to bring him the skin of this monster. After 


1 Judges, xvi. 3 Goldzhier: Hebrew Mythology, p. 248. 

2 Perhaps that of Izdubar. See chapter xi. 4 Murry: Manual of Mythology, p. 248. The 

Age of Fable, p. 200. 



SAMSON AND HIS EXPLOITS. 


67 


using in vain his club and arrows against the lion, Hercules 
strangled the animal with his hands. He returned, carrying the 
dead lion on his shoulders; but Eurystheus was so frightened at 
the sight of it, and at this proof of the prodigious strength of the 
hero, that he ordered him to deliver the accounts of his exploits in 
the future outside the town . 1 

To shov» the courage of Hercules, it is said that he entered the 
cave where the lion’s lair was, closed the entrance behind him, and 
at once grappled with the monster . 2 

Samson is said to have torn asunder the jaws of the lion, and 
we find him generally represented slaying the beast in that manner. 
So likewise was this the manner in which Hercules disposed of the 
Hemean lion . 3 

The skin of the lion, Hercules tore off with his fingers, and 
knowing it to be impenetrable, resolved to wear it henceforth . 4 
The statues and paintings of Hercules either represent him carrying 
the lion’s skin over his arm, or wearing it hanging down his back, 
the skin of its head fitting to his crown like a cap, and the fore-legs 
knotted under his chin . 5 6 

Samson’s second exploit was when he went down to Ashkelon 
and slew thirty men. 

Hercules, when returning to Thebes 4 from the lion-hunt, and 
wearing its skin hanging from his shoulders, as a sign of his suc¬ 
cess, met the heralds of the King of the Minyse, coming from J 
Orchomenos to claim the annual tribute of a hundred cattle, levied 
on Thebes. Hercules cut off the ears and noses of the heralds, 
bound their hands, and sent them home . 0 

Samson’s third exploit was when he caught three hundred foxes, 
and took fire-brands, and turned them tail to tail, and put a fire¬ 
brand in the midst between two tails, and let them go into the 
standing corn of the Philistines. 

There is no such feature as this in the legends of Hercules, the 
nearest to it in resemblance is when he encounters and kills the 
Learnean Ilydra . 7 8 During this encounter a fire-brand figure s 
conspicuously, and the neighboring wood is set on fir e* 


1 Bulfinch: The Age of Fable, p. 200. 

2 Murray: Manual of Mythology, p. 249. 

3 Roman Antiquities, p. 124; and Mont- 

faucon, vol. i. plate exxvi. 

< Murray: Manual of Mythology, p. 249. 

6 See Ibid. Greek and Italian Mythology, p. 

129, and Montfaucon, vol. i. plate exxv. and 
exxvi. 

8 Manual of Mythology, p. 247. 


7 “ It has many heads, one being immortal, 
as the storm must constantly supply new clouds 
while the vapors are driven off by the Sun 
into space. Hence the story went that although 
Herakles could burn away its mortal heads, as 
the Sun burns up the clouds, still he can but 
hide away the mist or vapor itself, which at its 
appointed time must again darken the sky.” 
(Cox: Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 48.) 

8 See Manual of Mytho., p. 250. 



OS 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


"We have, however, an explanation of this portion of the legend, 
in the following from Prof. Steintlial: 

At the festival of Ceres, held at Rome, in the month of April, 
a fox-hunt through the circus was indulged in, in which burning 
torches were bound to the foxes' tails. 

This was intended to be a symbolical reminder of the damage 
done to the fields by mildew, called the u red fox f which was ex¬ 
orcised in various ways at this momentous season (the last third of 
April). It is the time of the Dog-Star , at which the mildew was 
most to be feared ; if at that time great solar heat follows too close 
upon the hoar-frost or dew of the cold nights, this mischief rages 
like a burning fox through the corn-fields . 1 

He also says that: 

“ This is the sense of the story of the foxes, which Samson caught and sent 
into the Philistines’ fields, with fire-brands fastened to their tails, to burn the 
crops. Like the lion, the fox is an animal that indicated the solar heat, being 
well suited for this both by its color and by its long-haired tail.”' 2 

Boucliart, in his “ Ilierozoicon,” observes that: 

“ At this period (/. e ., the last third of A pril) they cut the corn in Palestine 
and Lower Egypt, and a few days after the setting of the Ilyads arose the Fox, 
in whose train or tail comes the fires or torches of the dog-days, represented 
among the Egyptians by red marks painted on the backs of their animals.” 3 

Count de Yolney also tells us that: 

“The inhabitants of Carseoles, an ancient city of Latium, every year, in a 
religious festival, burned a number of foxes with torches tied to their tails. They 
gave, as the reason for this whimsical ceremony, that their corn had been former¬ 
ly burnt by a fox to whose tail a young man had fastened a bundle of lighted 
straw.” 4 

He concludes his account of this peculiar “ religious festival,” 
by saying : 

“ This is exactly the story of Samson with the Philistines, but it is a Pheni- 
cian tale. Car-Seol is a compound word in that tongue, signifying town of foxes. 
The Philistines, originally from Egypt, do not appear to have had any colonies. 
The Phenicians had a great many; and it can scarcely be admitted that they 
borrowed this story from the Hebrews, as obscure as the Druses are in our own 
times, or that a simple adventure gave rise to a religious ceremony; it evidently 
can only he a mythological and allegorical narration .” 4 

So much, then, for the foxes and fire-brands. 

Samson’s fourth exploit was when he smote the Philistines 
“ hip and thigh,” “ with great slaughter.” 


1 Steintlial: The Legend of Samson, p. 893. 
See, also, Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 240, 
and Volney: Researches in Anc’t History, p. 42. 
a Ibid. 


3 Quoted by Count de Volney: Researches 
in Ancient History, p. 42, note. 

4 Volney : Researches in Ancient History, 
p. 42. 




SAMSON AND IIIS EXPLOITS. 


09 


It is related of Hercules that he had a combat with an army of 
Centaurs, who were armed with pine sticks, rocks, axes, &c. 
They flocked in wild confusion, and surrounded the cave of 
Pholos, where Hercules was, when a violent light ensued. Hercules 
was obliged to contend against this large armed force single-handed, 
but he came off victorious, and slew a great number of them . 1 
Hercules also encountered and fought against an army of giants, 
at the Phlograean fields, near Cumae . 2 

Samson’s next wonderful exploit was when “ three thousand men 
of Judah” bound him with cords and brought him up into Lehi, 
when the Philistines were about to take his life. The cords with 
which he was bound immediately became as flax, and loosened 
from off his hands. He then, with the jaw-bone of an ass, slew one 
thousand Philistines . 3 

A very similar feature to this is found in the history of Her¬ 
cules. He is made prisoner by the Egyptians, who wish to take 
his life, but while they are preparing to slay him, he breaks loose 
his bonds—having been tied with cords —and kills Buseris, the 
leader of the band, and the whole retinue . 4 * 

On another occasion, being refused shelter from a storm at Kos, 
he was enraged at the inhabitants, and accordingly destroyed the 
whole town. 6 

Samson, after he had slain a thousand Philistines, was “sore 
athirst,” and called upon Jehovah , his father in heaven, to succor 
him, whereupon, water immediately gushed forth from “a hollow 
place that was in the jaw-bone.” 

Hercules, departing from the Indies (or rather Ethiopia), and 
conducting his army though the desert of Lybia, feels a burning 
thirst, and conjures lhou, his father, to succor him in his danger. 


1 See Murray: Manual of Mythology, p. 251. 

“ The slaughter of the Centaurs by Hercules 

is the conquest and dispersion of the vapors 
by the Sun as he rises in the heaven.” (Cox: 
Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 47.) 

2 Murray: Manual of Mythology, p. 257. 

3 Shamgar also slew six hundred Philistines 
with an ox goad. (See Judges, iii. SI.) 

“ It is scarcely necessary to say that these 
weapons are the heritage of all 1 he Solar heroes, 
that the)' are found in the hands of Phebusand 
Ilerakles. of (Edipus. Achiileus, Pliiloktetes, of 
Siguard, Kustem, Indra, Isfcndnjar, of Tc'e 
phos, Mcleagros, Theseus, Kadmos, Bellero 
phon, and all other slayers of noxious and 
fearful things.” (Rev. Geo. Cox: Tales cf 
Ancient Greece, p. xxvii.) 

4 See Volney: Researches in Ancient His. 

tory, p. 41. Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 


230; Montfaucon: L’Antiquite Expliquee, 
vol. i. p. 213, and Murray: Manual of Mythol¬ 
ogy, pp. 250-262. 

It is evident that Herodotus , the Grecian 
historian, was somewhat of a skeptic, for he 
says: “TheGrecians say that ‘ When Hercules 
ariivcd in Egypt, the Egyptians, having crown¬ 
ed him with a garland, led him in procession, 
as designing to sacrifice him to Jupiter, and 
that ^or some time he remained quiet, but 
when they began the preparatory ceremonies 
upon him at the altar, he set about defending 
himself and slew every one of them.’ Now, 
since Hercules was but one. and, besides, a 
mere man, as they confess, how is it possible 
that he should slay many thousands?” (Herod¬ 
otus, bock ii. eh. 43). 

6 Murray: Manual of Mythology, p. 2G3. 



70 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


w 

Instantly the (celestial) Earn appears. Hercules follows him and 
arrives at a place where the Earn scrapes with his foot, and there 
instantly comes forth a spring of water d 

Samson’s sixth exploit happened when he went to Gaza to 
visit a harlot. The Gazites, who wished to take his life, laid wait 
for him all night, but Samson left the town at midnight, and took 
with him the gates of the city, and the two posts , on his shoulders. 
He carried them to the top of a hill, some fifty miles away, and left 
them there. 

This story very much resembles that of the u Pillars of Her¬ 
cules,” called the “ Gates of Cadiz .” 2 

Count de Yolney tells us that: 

“ Hercules was represented naked, carrying on liis shoulders two columns 
called the Gates of Cadiz.” 3 



“ The Pillars of Hercules” was the name given by the ancients 
to the two rocks forming the entrance or gate to the Mediterranean 
at the Strait of Gibraltar. 4 Their erection was ascribed by the 
Greeks to Hercules, on the occasion of his journey to the kingdom 
of Geryon. According to one version of the story, they had been 

united, but Hercules 
tore them asunder. 5 

Fig. Ho. 8 is a rep¬ 
resentation of Hercules 
» 

with the two posts or 
pillars on his shoulders, 
as alluded to by Count 
de Yolney. We have 
taken it from Montfau- 
con’s “ L’Antiquite Ex- 
pliquee.” 6 

J. P. Lundy says of 
this: 


1 Volney: Researches in Anc’t History, pp. 
41, 42. 

In Bell’s “Pantheon of the Gods and Demi- 
Gods of Antiquity,” we read, under the head 
of Ammon or Ilammon (the name of the 
Egyptian Jupiter, worshiped under the figure 
of a Earn), that: “ Bacchus having subdued 
Asia, and passing with his army through 
the deserts of Africa, was in great want of 
water; but Jupiter, his father, assuming the 
shape of a Ram , led him to a fountain, where 
he refreshed himself and his army; in re¬ 
quital of which favor, Bacchus built there a 


temple to Jupiter, under the title of Ammon .” 

2 Cadiz (ancient Gades), being situated near 
the mouth of the Mediterranean. The first 
author who mentions the Pillars of Hercules is 
Pindar, and he places them there. (Cham¬ 
bers's Encyclo. “Hercules.”) 

2 Volney’s Researches, p. 41. See also 
Tylor: Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 857. 

4 See Chambers’s Encyclopaedia, Art “Her¬ 
cules.” Cory’s Ancient Fragments, p. 8G, note; 
and Bulfinch: The Age of Fable, p. 201. 

6 Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Hercules.” 

6 Vol. i. plate cxxvii. 















SAMSON AND HIS EXPLOITS. 


71 


“ Hercules carrying bis two columns to erect at the Straits of Gibraltar, 
may have some reference to the Hebrew story.” 1 

We think there is no doubt of it. By changing the name Her¬ 
cules into Samson, the legend is complete. 

Sir William Drummond tells us, in his “ (Edipus J'udaicus,” 
that: 

“ Gaza signifies a Goat, and was the type of the Sun in Capricorn. The Gates 
of the San were feigned by the ancient Astronomers to be in Capricorn and 
Cancer (that is, in Gaza), from which signs the tropics are named. Samson 
carried away the gates from Gaza to Hebron, the city of conjunction. Now, 
Count Gebelin tells us that at Cadiz, where Hercules was anciently worshiped, 
there was a representation of him, with a gate on his shoulders”' 2 

The stories of the amours of Samson with Delilah and other 
females, are simply counterparts of those of Hercules with Omphale 
and Iole. Montfaucon, speaking of this, says: 

“ Nothing is better known in the fables (related of Hercules) than his amours 
with Omphale and Iole.” 3 

Prof. Steinthal says : 

“ The circumstance that Samson is so addicted to sexual pleasure, has its origin 
in the remembrance that the Solar god is the god of fruitfulness and procreation. 
We have as examples, the amours of Hercules and Omphale; Ninyas, in Assyria, 
with Semiramis; Samson, in Philistia, with Delila, whilst among the Phcuicians, 
Melkart pursues Dido-Anna.” 4 

Samson is said to have had long hair. “ There hath not come a 
razor upon my head,” says he, “ for I have been a Hazarite unto 
God from my mother’s womb.” 

How, strange as it may appear, Hercules is said to have had long 
hair also, and he was often represented that way. In Mon tf an con’s 
“ L’Antiquite Expliquee ” 5 may be seen a representation of Her¬ 
cules with hair reaching almost to his waist. Almost all Atm-gods 
are represented thus. 6 

Prof. Goldzliier says: 

“Long locks of hair and a long beard are mythological attributes of the Sun. 
The Sun’s rays are compared with locks of hair on the face or head of the Sun. 


1 Monumental Christianity, p. 390. 

2 CEd. Jud. p. 3G0, in Anacalypsis, vol. i. 

p. 239. 

8 “Rien de plus connu dans la fable que 
ses amours avec Omphale et Iole.”—L’Anti- 
quite Expliquee, voi. i. p. 224. 

* The Legend of Samson, p. 404. 

6 Vol. i. plate cxxvii. 

8 ‘‘Samson was remarkable for his long 
hair. The meaning of this trait in the orig¬ 
inal myth is easy to guess, and appears also 


from representations of the Sun-god amongst 
other peoples. These long hairs are.the rays 
of the Sun." (Bible for Learners, i. 416.) 

The beauty of the sun’s rays is signified 
by the golden locks of Phoibos, over xvhich no 
razor has ever passed; by the flowing hair 
which streams from the head of Kephalos, 
and falls over the shoulders of Perseus and 
Bellerophon.” (Cox: Aryan Mytho., vol. i. 
p. 107.) 





72 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“When the sun sets and leaves his place to the darkness, or when the 
powerful Summer Sun is succeeded by the weak ra} r s of the Winter Sun, then 
Samson’s long locks, in wdiicli alone his strength lies, are cut off through the 
treachery of his deceitful concubine, Delilah, the ‘ languishing, languid,’ accord¬ 
ing to the meaning of the name (Delilah). The Beaming Apollo, moreover, is 
called the Unshaven; and Minos cannot conquer the solar hero IN isos, till the 
latter loses his golden hair .” 1 2 

Tlironsell the influence of Delilah, Samson is at last made a 
prisoner. lie tells her the secret of his strength, the seven locks 
of hair are shaven off, and his strength leaves him. The shearing 
of the locks of the Sun must be followed by darkness and ruin. 

From the shoulders of Phoibos Lykegenes flow the sacred 
locks, over which no razor might pass, and on the head of Hisos 
they become a palladium, invested with a mysterious power. 5 
The long locks of hair which flow over his shoulders are taken 
from his head by Sky 11a, while he is asleep, and, like another Deli¬ 
lah, she thus delivers him and his people into the power of 
Minos. 3 

Prof. Steinthal says of Samson : 

“His hair is a figure of increase and luxuriant fullness. In Winter, when 
nature appears to have lost all strength, the god of growing young life has lost 
his hair. In the Spring the hair grows again, and nature returns to life again. 
Of this original conception the Bible story still preserves a trace. Samson’s hair, 
after bein£ cut off, grows again, and his strength comes back with it .” 4 

Towards the end of his career, Samson’s eyes are put out. 
Even here, the Hebrew writes with a singular fidelity to the old 
mythical speech. The tender light of evening is blotted out by the 
dark vapors; the light of the Sun is quenched in gloom. Sam¬ 
son 1 s eyes are put out. 

(Edipus, whose history resembles that of Samson and Hercules 
in many respects, tears out his eyes, towards the end of his career. 
In other words, the Sun has blinded himself. Clouds and dark¬ 
ness have closed in about him, and the clear light is blotted out of 
the heaven. 6 

The final act, Samson’s death, reminds us clearly and decisively 
of the Phenician Hercules, as Sun-god, who died at the Winter 
Solstice in the furthest West, where his two pillars are set up to 
mark the end of his wanderings. 

Samson also died at the two pillars , but in his case they are 
not the Pillars of the World, but are only set up in the middle 
of a great banqueting-hall. A feast was being held in honor of 


1 Hebrew Mytlio., pp. 137, 138. 

2 Cox : Aryan Myths, vol.i. p. 84. 

3 Tales of Ancient Greece, p. xxix. 


4 The Legend of Samson, p. 408. 

6 Cox: Aryau Mytho., vol. ii. p. 72. 





SAMSON AND IIIS EXPLOITS. 


73 


Dagon, tlie Fish-god; the Sun was in the sign of the Waterman, 
Samson , the Sun-god , died. 1 2 

The ethnology of the name of Samson, as well as his adven¬ 
tures, arc very closely connected with the Solar Hercules. u Sam¬ 
son ” was tlie name of the Sun.* In Arabic, “ Shams-on ” means the 
Sun.* Samson had seven locks of hair, the number of the plan¬ 
etary bodies. 4 

«/ 

The author of u The Religion of Israel,” speaking of Samson, 
says: 

“ Tlie story of Samson and liis deeds originated in a Solar myth , which was 
afterwards transformed by the narrator into a saya about a mighty hero and 
deliverer of Israel. The very name ‘Samson,’ is derived from the Hebrew word, 
and means ‘ Sun.’ The hero’s flowing locks were originally the rays of the sun, 
and other traces of the old myth have been preserved.” 5 * 

Prof. Oort says: 

“ The story of Samson is simply a solar myth. In some of the features of 
the story the original meaning may be traced quite clearly, but in others the 
myth can no longer be recognized. The exploits of some Danite hero, such as 
Shamgar, who ‘slew six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad’ (Judges iii. 31), 
have been woven into it; the whole has been remodeled after the ideas of the 
prophets of later ages, and finally, it has been fitted into the framework of the 
period of the Judges, as conceived by the writer of the book called after them.” 3 

Again lie says: 

“The myth that lies at the foundation of this story is a description of the 
sun’s course during the six winter months. The god is gradually encompassed 
by his enemies, mist and darkness. At first lie easily maintains his freedom, 
and gives glorious proofs of his strength; but the fetters grow stronger and 
stronger, until at last he is robbed of his crown of rays, and loses all his power 
and glory. Such is the Sun in Winter. But lie has not lost his splendor forever. 
Gradually his strength returns, at last he reappears; and though he still seems to 
allow himself to be mocked, yet the power of avenging himself has returned, 
and in the end he triumphs over his enemies once more.” 7 

Other nations beside tlie Hebrews and Greeks had their 
u mighty men ” and lion-killers. The Hindoos had their Samson. 
Ilis name was Bala-llama, the u Strong Hama .” He was con- 
sidered by some an incarnation of Yislinu. 8 


1 The Legend of Samson, p. 403. 

2 See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 237. 

Goldzhier: Hebrew Mythology, p. 22. The 

Religion of Israel, p. 61. The Bible for 

Learners, vol. i. p. 418. Volney’s Ruins, p. 
41, and Stanley: History of the Jewish Church, 

where he says: 4 ‘ Ilis name , which Josephus 

interprets in the sense of ‘strong,’ was still 

more characteristic. Ho was * the Sunny *— 
the bright and beaming, though wayward, like¬ 
ness of the great luminary.” 


3 Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 237, and 
Volney’s Researches, p. 43, note. 

4 See chapter ii. 

6 The Religion of Israel, p. 01. “ The yellow 
hair of Apollo was a symbol of the solar 
rays.” (Inman: Ancient Faiths, voi. ii. p. 
079.) 

6 Bible for Learners, voi. i. p. 414. 

7 Ibid, p. 422. 

8 Williams’ Hinduism, pp. 108 and 1G7. 





74 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Captain Wilford says, in “ Asiatic Researches : ” 

“ The Indian Hercules, according to Cicero, was called Bclus. He is the 
same as Bala, the brother of Crislma, and both are conjointly worshiped at 
Mutra; indeed, they are considered as one Avatar or Incarnation of Yishnou, 
Bala is represented as a stout man, with a club in his hand. He is also called 
Bala-rama,’ n 

There is a Hindoo legend which relates that Sevah had an en- 
counter with a tiger, “ whose mouth expanded like a cave, and 
whose voice resembled thunder.” He slew the monster, and, like 
Hercules, covered himself with the skin. 2 

The Assyrians and Lydians, both Semitic nations, worshiped 
a Sun-god named Sandan or Sandon. lie also was believed to 
be a lion-killer , and frequently figured struggling with the lion, 
or standing upon the slain lion. 3 

Ninevali, too, had her mighty hero and king, who slew a lion 
and other monsters. Layard, in his excavations, discovered a bas- 
relief representation of this hero triumphing over the lion and 
wild bull. 4 

The Ancient Babylonians had a hero lion-slayer, Izdubar by 
name. The destruction of the lion, and other monsters, by Izdu¬ 
bar, is often depicted on the cylinders and engraved gems belong¬ 
ing to the early Babylonian monarchy. 5 

Izdubar is represented as a great or mighty man, who, in the 
early days after the flood, destroyed wild animals, and conquered 
a number of petty kings. 6 

Izdubar resembles the Grecian hero, Hercules, in other re¬ 
spects than as a destroyer of wild animals, &c. We are told 
that he “ wandered to the regions where gigantic composite mon¬ 
sters held and controlled the rising and setting sun, from these 
learned the road to the region of the blessed , and passing across a 
great waste of land , he arrived at a region where splendid trees 
were laden with jewels” 1 

He also resembles Hercules, Samson, and other solar-gods, in 
the particular of long flowing locks of hair. In the Babylonian 
and Assyrian sculptures he is always represented with a marked 
physiognomy, and always indicated as a man with masses of curls 
over his head and a large curly beard. 8 


1 Vol. v. p. 270. 

2 Maurice: Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 
155. 

3 Steinthal: The Legend of Samson, p. 
893. 

4 Buckley: Cities of the World, 41, 42. 


6 Smith: Assyrian Discoveries, p. 167, and 
Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 174. 

« Assyrian Discoveries, p. 205, and Chal¬ 
dean Account of Genesis, p. 174. 

7 Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 310. 

8 Ibid, pp. 193, 194, 174. 




SAMSON AND HIS EXPLOITS. 


75 


Here, evidently, is the Babylonian legend of Hercules. He too 
was a wanderer , going from the furthest East to the furthest West. 
He crossed “ a great waste of land 57 (the desert of Lybia), visited 
“ the region of the blessed,” where there were “splendid trees laden 
with jewels ” (golden apples). 

The ancient Egyptians had their Hercules. According to 
Herodotus, ho was known several thousand years before the Gre¬ 
cian hero of that name. This the Egyptians affirmed, and that he 
was born in their country. 1 

The story of Hercules was known in the 
Island of Tliasos, by the Phenician colony 
settled there, five centuries before he was 
known in Greece. 2 Fig. Ao. 4 is from an 
ancient representation of Hercules in con¬ 
flict with the lion, taken from Gorio. 

4 ' 

Another mighty hero was the Grecian 
Bellerophon. The minstrels sang of the 
beauty and the great deeds of Bellerophon 
throughout all the land of Argos. Ilis arm 
was strong in battle; his feet were swift in 
the chase. Hone that were poor and weak 
and wretched feared the might of Beller¬ 
ophon. To them the sight of his beautiful 
form brought only joy and gladness; but the proud and boastful, 
the slanderer and the robber, dreaded the glance of his keen eye. 
For a long time he fought the Solymi and the Amazons, until 
all his enemies shrank from the stroke of his mighty arm, and 
sought for mercy. 3 

The second of the principal gods of the Ancient Scandinavians 
was named Thor, and was no less known than Odin amomr the Teu- 
tonic nations. The Edda calls him expressly the most valiant of the 
sons of Odin. lie was considered the “ defender ” and “ avengerS 
He always carried a mallet, which, as often as he discharged it, 
returned to his hand of itself ; he grasped it with gauntlets of 
iron, and was further possessed of a girdle which had the virtue of 
renewing his strength as often as was needful. It was with these 
formidable arms that he overthrew to the ground the monsters and 
giants, when he was sent by the gods to oppose their enemies. He 
was represented of gigantic size, and as the stoutest and strongest 



1 See Tacitus: Annals, book ii. ch. lix. 

2 Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 02. 


* See Tales of Ancient Grocce, p. 153. 








7 G 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


of tlie gods. 1 Thor was simply the Hercules of the Northern 
nations. He was the Sun personified. 2 

Without enumerating them, we can safely say, that there was 
not a nation of antiquity, from the remotest East to the furthest 
West, that did not have its mighty hero, and counterpart of Her¬ 
cules and Samson. 3 


1 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, pp. 
94, 417, and 514. 

2 See Cos : Aryan Mythology. 

3 See vol. i. of Aryan Mythology, by Rev. 
G. W. Cox. 


“ Besides the fabulous Hercules, the son of 
Jupiter and Alcraena, there was, in ancient 
times, no warlike nation who did not boast 
of its own particular Hercules.” (Arthur Mur¬ 
phy, Translator of Tacitus.) 



CHAPTER IX. 


JONAII SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. 

In the book of Jonah, containing four chapters, we are told 
the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, saying: “ Arise, go to Xin- 
evali, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness is come 
up against me.” 

Instead of obeying this command Jonah sought to flee “from 
the presence of the Lord,” by going to Tarshish. For this pur¬ 
pose lie went to Joppa, and there took ship for Tarshish. But 
the Lord sent a great wind, and there was a mighty tempest, so 
that the ship was likely to be broken. 

The mariners being afraid, they cried every one unto his God ; 
and casting lots—that they might know which of them was the 
cause of the storm—the lot fell upon Jonah, showing him to be the 
guilty man. 

The mariners then said unto him ; “ What shall we do unto thee ?” 
Jonah in reply said, “Take me up and cast me forth into the sea, 
for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.” So 
they took up Jonah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased 
raging. 

And the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and 
Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 
Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord out of the fish’s belly. And the 
Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry 
land. 

The Lord again spake unto Jonah and said : 

“ Go unto Xinevah and preach unto it.” So Jonah arose and 
went unto Xinevah, according to the command of the Lord, and 
preached unto it. 

There is a Hindoo fable, very much resembling this, to be found 
in the Somadeva Bliatta, of a person by the name of Saktideva 
who was swallowed by a huge fish, and finally came out unhurt. 
The story is as follows : 

“ There was once a king’s daughter who would marry no one 

[77] ' 


78 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


but the man who had seen the Golden City—of legendary fame— 
and Saktideva was in love with her; so he went travelling about 
the world seeking- some one who could tell him where this Golden 
City was. In the course of his journeys he embarked on board a 
ship bound for the Island of Utsthala, where lived the King of the 
Fishermen, who, Saktideva hoped, would set him on his way. On 
the voyage there arose « great storm and the ship went to pieces, 
and a great fish swallowed Saktideva whole. Then, driven by the 
force of fate, the fish went to the Island of Utsthala, and there the 
servants of the King of the Fishermen caught it, and the king, 
wondering at its size, had it cut open, and Saktideva came out 
unhurt S x 

In Grecian fable, Hercules is said to have been swallowed by a 
whale, at a place called Joppa, and to have lain three days in Ids 
entrails. 

Bernard de Montfancon, speaking of Jonah being swallowed by 
a whale, and describing a piece of Grecian sculpture representing 
Hercules standing by a huge sea monster, says: 

“Some ancients relate to the effect that Hercules was also swallowed by 
the whale that was watching Ilesione, that lie remained three days in his belly, 
and that he came out bald-pated after his sojourn there.” 1 2 

Bouchet, in his “ Hist, d’Animal,” tells us that: 

“The great fish which swallowed up Jonah, although it be called a whale 
(Matt. xii. 40), yet it was not a whale, properly so called, but a Dog-fish, called 
Carcharias. Therefore in the Grecian fable Hercules is said to have been swal¬ 
lowed up of a Dag, and to have lain three days in his entrails.” 3 

Godfrey Higgins says, on this subject: 

“The story of Jonas swallowed up by a whale, is nothing but part of the 
fiction of Hercules, described in the Iicraelcid or Labors of Hercules, of whom 
the same story was told, and who was swallowed up at the very same place, 
Joppa, and for the same period of time, three days. Lycopliron says that Hercules 
was three nights in the belly of a fish.” 4 

We have still another similar story in that of “ Arion the Musi- 
cianfi who, being thrown overboard, was caught on the back of a 
Dolphin and landed safe on shore. The story is related in 
“ Tales of Ancient Greece,” as follows: 

Arion was a Corinthian harper who had travelled in Sicily and 


1 Tylor: Early Hist. Mankind, pp. 344. 345. 

2 “ En cilct, qnelqucs anciensdisentqu’ Iler- 

cule fut aussi devora par la belcine qui gurdoit 
Ilesione, qu’il demeura trois jours dans son 
ventre, et qu’il sortit chauve de ce sejour.” 

(L’Antiquite Expliquee, vol. i. p. 204.) 


3 Boucbel: Hist, d’Animal, in Anac., vol. i. 
p. 240. 

4 Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. G38. Sec also 
Tylor : Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 30G, and 
Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Jonah.” 




JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. 


70 


Italy, and had accumulated great wealth. Being desirous of again 
seeing his native city, he set sail from Taras for Corinth. The 
sailors in the ship, having seen the large boxes full of money which 
Arion had brought with him into the ship, made up their minds to 
kill him and take his gold and silver. So one day when he was 
sitting on the bow of the ship, and looking down on the dark 
blue sea, three or four of the sailors came to him and said they 
were going to kill him. Now Arion knew they said this because 
they wanted his money; so he promised to give them all he 
had if they would spare his life. But they would not. Then 
he asked them to let him jump into the sea. When they had 
given him leave to do this, Arion took one last look at the bright 
and sunny sky, and then leaped into the sea, and the sailors saw 
him no more. But Arion was not drowned in the sea, for a great 
fish called a dolphin was swimming by the ship when Arion leaped 
over; and it caught him on its back and swam away with him 
towards Corinth. So presently the fish came close to the shore and 
left Arion on the beach, and swam away again into the deep sea. 1 

There is also a Persian legend to the effect that Jemshid was 
devoured by a great monster waiting for him at the bottom of 
the sea, but afterwards rises again out of the sea, like Jonah in the 
Hebrew, and Hercules in the Phenician myth. 2 3 This legend was 
also found in the myths of the New World* 

It was urged, many years ago, by Posenmuller—an eminent 
German divine and professor of theology—and other critics, that 
the miracle recorded in the book of Jonah is not to be regarded as 
an historical fact, “ but only as an allegory, founded on the Pheni¬ 
cian myth of Hercules rescuing Ilesione from the sect monster by 
leaping himself into its jaws, and for three days and three nights 
continuing to tear its entrails '’* 

That the story is an allegory, and that it, as well as that of 
Saktideva, Hercules and the rest, are simply different versions of 
the same myth, the significance of which is the alternate swallow¬ 
ing up and casting forth of Day, or the Sun, by Night, is now all 
but universally admitted by scholars. The Day, or the Sun, is 
swallowed up by Night, to be set free again at dawn, and from 
time to time suffers a like but shorter durance in the maw of the 
eclipse and the storm-cloud. 6 
Professor Goldzhier says: 

1 Talcs of Ancient Greece, p. 29G. 4 Chambers’s Encyclo., art. Jonah. 

2 See Hebrew Mythology, p. 203. 6 See Fiske : Myths and Myth Makers, p. 17, 

3 See Tylor’s Early Hist. Mankind, and and note ; and Tylor : Primitive Culture, i. 302. 

Primitive Culture, vol. i. 



80 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ The most prominent mythical characteristic of the story of Jonah is his 
celebrated abode in the sea in the belly of a whale. This trait is eminently 
Solar. . . . As on occasion of the storm the storm-dragon or the storm- 

serpent swalloics the Sun, so when he sets, he (Jonah, as a personilication of 
the Sun) is swallowed by a mighty lish, waiting for him at the bottom of the 
sea. Then, when he appears again on the horizon, he is spit out on the shore by 
the sea-monster.” 1 


The Sun was called Jona, as appears from Gruter’s inscriptions, 


and other sources. 2 

In the Vedas —the four sacred books of the Hindoos—when Day 
and Night, Sun and Darkness, are opposed to each other, the one 
is designated Red, the other Black? 

The Red San being swallowed up by the Dark Earth at Night 
—as it apparently is when it sets in the west—to be cast forth 
again at Day , is also illustrated in like manner. Jonah, Hercules 
and others personify the Sun , and a huge Fish represents the 
Earth? The Earth represented as a huge Fish is one of the most 
prominent ideas of the Polynesian mythology? 

At other times, instead of a Fish , we have a great raving Wolf, 
who comes to devour its victim and extinguish the A/m-light. 3 4 * * 
The Wolf is particularly distinguished in ancient Scandinavian 
mythology, being employed as an emblem of the Destroying Power , 
which attempts to destroy the Sun? This is illustrated in the 
story of Little Red Hiding-Hood (the Sun) 8 who is devoured by 
the great Black Wolf (Night) and afterwards comes out unhurt? 

The story of Little Hed Riding-Hood is mutilated in the Eng¬ 
lish version. The original story was that the little maid, in her 
shining Red Cloak, was swallowed by the great Black Wolf, and 
that she came out safe and sound when the hunters cut open the 
sleeping beast. 10 


1 Goldzbier: Hebrew Mythology, pp. 102,103. 

2 This is seen from the following, taken from 
Pictet: “ I)u Quite des Cardbi ,” p. 104, and 
quoted by Higgins : Anac.,\ ol. i. p. G50 : “Val¬ 
iancy dit que Ionn etoit le meme que Baal. 
En Gallois Jon, le Seigneur, Dieu, la cause 
premiere. En Basque Jawna, Jon , Jona , &c., 
Dieu, et Seigneur, Maitro. Les Scandinaves 
appcloient le Soldi John. . . . Une des 
inscriptions de Gruler montre ques les Troyens 
adoroient Is mime astro sous le nom de Jona. 
En Persan le Soldi est appele Jawtiah." Thus 
we see that the Sun was called Jonah, by dif¬ 
ferent nations of antiquity. 

3 See Goklzkier : Hebrew Mythology, p. 146. 

4 See Tylor : Early History of Mankind, p. 

345, and Goldzliier: Hebrew Mythology, pp. 

102, 103. 


6 See Tylor : Early History of Mankind, p. 
345. 

6 Fiskc : Myths and Myth Makers, p. 77. 

7 See Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, 
pp. 83, 89, and Mallet's Northern Antiquities. 

8 In ancient Scandinavian mythology, the 
Sun is personified in the form of a beautiful 
maiden. (See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, 
p. 458.) 

9 Sec Fiske : Myths and Myth Makers, p. 77. 
Bunce : Fairy Tales, 101. 

10 Tylor : Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 307. 

“ The story of Little Red Riding-Hood, as 
we call her, or Little Red-Cap, came from the 
same {i. e., the ancient Aryan) source, and re¬ 
fers to the Sun and the Night." 

“ One of the fancies of the most ancient 
Aryan or Hindoo stories was that there was a 





JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. 


81 


In regard to these heroes remaining three days and three nights 
in the bowels of the Fish, they represent the Sun at the Winter Sol¬ 
stice. From December 22d to the 25th—that is, for three days 
and three nights —the Sun remains in the Lowest Regions, in the 
bowels of the Earth, in the belly of the Fish; it is then cast forth 
and renews its career. 

Tims, we see that the story of Jonah being swallowed by a big 
fish, meant originally the Sun swallowed up by Night, and that it 
is identical with the well-known nursery-tale. How such legends 
are transformed from intelligible into unintelligible myths, is very 
clearly illustrated by Prof. Max Miiller, who, in speaking of “ the 
comparison of the different forms of Aryan Religion and Mythol¬ 
ogy,” in India, Persia, Greece, Italy and Germany, says: 

“ In each of these nations there was a tendency to change the original concep¬ 
tion of divine powers; to misunderstand the many names given to these powers, 
and to misinterpret the praises addressed to them. In this manner some of the 
divine names were changed into half-divine, half-human heroes, and at last the 
myths which were true and intelligible as told originally of ike Sun, or the Dawn, 
or the Storms, were turned into legends or fables too marvellous to be believed of 
common mortals. This process can he watched in India, in Greece, and in Ger¬ 
many. The same story, or nearly the same, is told of gods, of heroes, and of 
men. The divine myth became an heroic legend, and the heroic legend fades away 
into a nursery tale. Our nursery tales have well been called the modern 'patois 
of the ancient sacred mythology of the. Aryan race.” 1 

How striking are these words ; how plainly they illustrate the 
process by which the story, that was true and intelligible as told 
originally of the Day being swallowed up by Night , or the Sun 
being swallowed up by the Earth , was transformed into a legend 
or fable, too marvellous to be believed by common mortals. How 
the u divine myth ” became an “ heroic legend ,” and how the heroic 
legend faded away into a “ nursery tale.” 

In regard to Jonah’s going to the city of Ninevah, and preach¬ 
ing unto the inhabitants, we believe that the old “ Myth of Civiliza- 


great dragon that was trying to devour the Sun, 
and to prevent him from shining upon the 
earth and filling it with brightness and life and 
beauty, and that Indra, the Sun-god, killed the 
dragon. Now, this is the meaning of Little 
Ited Riding-Hood, as it is told in our nursery 
tales. Little Red Riding-IIood is the evening 
Sun, which is always described as red or golden ; 
the old grandmother is the earth, to whom the 
rays of the Sun bring warmth and comfort. 
The wolf—which is a well-known figure for the 
clouds and darkness of night—is the dragon in 
another form. First he devours the grand¬ 
mother ; that is, he wraps the earth in thick 

6 


clouds, which the evening Sun is not strong 
enough to pierce through. Then, with the 
darkness of night, he swallows up the evening 
Sun itself, and all is dark and desolate. Then, 
as in the German tale, the night-thunder and 
the storm-winds are represented by the loud 
snoring of the wolf; and then the huntsman, 
the morning Sun, comes in all his strength and 
majesty, and chases away the night-clouds and 
kills the wolf, and revives old Grandmother 
Earth, and brings Little Red Riding-Hood to 
life again.” (Bunce, Fairy Tales, their Origin 
and Meaning, p. 161.) 

1 Muller’s Chips, vol. ii. p. 260. 




82 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


tion,” so called, 1 is partly interwoven here, and that, in this re¬ 
spect, he is nothing more than the Indian Fish Avatar of Vish - 
non, or the Chaldean Oannes. At his first Avatar, Vishnou is 
alleged to have appeared to humanity in form like a fish, 2 3 or half¬ 
man and half-fish, just as Oannes and Dagon were represented among 
the Chaldeans and other nations. In the temple of Rama , in India, 
there is a representation of Vishnou which answers perfectly to 
that of Dagon* Mr. Maurice, in his “Hist. Hindostan,” has 
proved the identity of the Syrian Dagon and the Indian Fish 
Avatar, and concludes by saying: 

“ From the foregoing and a variety of parallel circumstances, I am inclined 
to think that the Chaldean Oannes, the Pkenician and Philistian Dagon, and the 
Pisces of the Syrian and Egyptian Zodiac, were the same deity with the Indian 
Vishnu. ” 4 

In the old mythological remains of the Chaldeans, compiled by 
Berosus. Abydenus, and Polyhistor, there is an account of one 
Oannes , a fish-god, who rendered great, service to mankind. 5 This 
being is said to have come out of the Erythraean Sea. 6 This is 
evidently the Sun rising out of the sea , as it apparently does, in 
the East. 7 

Prof. Goldzliier, speaking of Oannes, says: 

“That this founder of cizilization has a Solar character, like similar heroes 
in all other nations, is shown ... in the words of Berosus, who says: 
‘ During the day-time Oannes held intercourse with man, but when the Sun set, 
Oannes fell into the sea, where he used to pass the night.’ Here, evidently, only 
the Sun can he meant, who, in the evening, dips into the sea, and comes forth 
again in the morning, and passes the day on the dry land in the company of 
men.” 8 

Dagon was sometimes represented as a man emerging from a 
fish's mouth , and sometimes as half-man and half-fish. 9 It was 
believed that he came in a ship , and taught the people. Ancient 
history abounds with such mythological personages. 10 There was also 
a Durga , a fish deity, among the Hindoos , represented as a full 
grown man emerging from a fish's mouth * The Philistines wor- 


1 See Goldzhier’s Hebrew Mythology, p. 198, 
et seq. 

2 See Maurice : Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. 
p. 277. 

3 See Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 259. Also, 

Fig. No. 5, next page. 

* Hist. Hindostan, vol. i. pp. 418-419. 

6 See Prichard’s Egyptian Mythology, p. 190. 

Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 87. Higgins : 

Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. G46. Cory’s Ancient 

Fragments, p. 57. 


6 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. G46. 
Smith : Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 39 , 
and Cory’s Ancient Fragments, p. 57 .’ 

7 Civilizing gods, who diffuse intelligence 
and instruct barbarians, are also Solar Deities. 
Among these Oannes takes his place, as the 
Sun-god , giving knowledge and civilization. 
(Rev. S. Baring-Gould : Curious Myths, p. 3G7. 

8 Goldzhier : Hebrew Mvthology, pp 214 
215. 

8 See Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. m. 
10 See Chamber’s Encyclo., art “Dagon.” 




JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIO FISH. 


83 


shiped Dagon, and in Babylonian Mythology Odakon is applied to 
a fish-like being, who rose from the waters of the Red Sea as one of 
the benefactors of men. 1 

On the coins of Ascalon, where she was held in great honor, 
v the goddess Derceto or Atergatis is represented as a woman with 
her lower extremities like a fish. This is Semiramis, who appeared 
at Joppa as a mermaid. She is simply a personification of the 
Moon , who follows the course of the Sun. At times she manifests 
herself to the eyes of men, at others she seeks concealment in the 
Western flood. 2 

The Sun-god Phoibos traverses the sea in the form of a fish, 
and imparts lessons of wisdom and goodness when he has come 
forth from the green depths. All these powers or qualities are 
shared by Proteus in Hellenic story, as well as by the fish-god, 
Dagon or Oannes. 3 

In the Iliad and Odyssey, Atlas is brought into close connection 
with Ilelios, the bright god, the Latin Sol, and our Sun. In these 
poems he rises every morning from a beautiful lake by the deep¬ 
flowing stream of Ocean, and having accomplished his journey 
across the heavens, plunges again into the Western waters. 4 

The ancient Mexicans and Peruvians had likewise semi-fish <rods. 5 

G 

Jonah then, is like these other personages, in so far as they 
are all personifications of the Sun ; they all come out of the sea ; 
they are all represented as 
a man emerging from a 
fish's mouth / and they are 
all benefactors of mankind. 

We believe, therefore, 
that it is one and the 
same myth, whether Oan¬ 
nes, Joannes, or Jonas, 6 dif¬ 
fering to a certain extent 
among different nations, just 
as we find to be the case with other legends. This we have just 
seen illustrated in the story of “ Little Red R'ding-IIood,” which 
is considerably mutilated in the English version. 



1 See Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, and 
Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Dagon ” in both. 

2 See Baring-Gould’s Curious Myths. 

8 See Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 2G. 

* Ibid, p. 38. 

6 Curious Myths, p. 372. 

8 Since writing the above we find that Mr. 
Bryant, in his “Analysis of Ancient Mythol¬ 


ogy" (vol. ii. p. 291), speaking of the mystical 
nature of the name John , which is the same as 
Jonah , says : “ The prophet who was sent upon 
an embassy to the Ninevites, is styled Ionas: 
a title probably bestowed upon him as a mes¬ 
senger of the Deity. The great Patriarch who 
preached righteousness to the Antediluvians, 
is styled Oan and Oannes , which ia the same 
ns Jonah." 









84 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Fig. No. 5 is a representation of Dagon , intended to illustrate a 
creature lialf-inan and half-fish ; or, perhaps, a man emerging from a 
fish’s mouth. It is taken from Layard. Fig. No. 6 1 * 3 is a repre¬ 
sentation of the Indian Avatar of Yishnou, 
coming forth from the fish? It would an¬ 
swer just as well for a representation of 
Jonah, as it does for the Hindoo divinity. It 
should be noticed that in both of these, the 
god has a crown on his head, surmounted 
with a trifle ornament, both of which had 
evidently the same meaning, i. e., an emblem 
of the trinity? The Indian Avatar being 

represented with four arms, evidently means 
that he is god of the whole world, his four 
arms extending to th q four corners of the 
world. The circle , which is seen in one 
hand, is an emblem of eternal reward. The 
shell , with its eight convolutions, is intended 
to show the place in the number of the cycles which he occupied. 
The book and sword are to show that he ruled both in the right of 
the book and of the sword. 4 



1 From Maurice: Hist. Hindostan, vol. i. 3 See the chapter on “ The Trinity,” in 

p. 495. part second. 

3 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 634. See 4 See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. &40. 

also, Calmet’s Fragments, 2d Hundred, p. 78. 



/ 





CHAPTEE X. 


CIRCUMCISION. 

In the words of the Eev. Dr. Giles: 

“ The rite of circumcision must not be passed over in any work that concerns 
the religion and literature of that (the Jewish) people.” 1 2 

The first mention of Circumcision, in the Bible, occurs in 
Genesis, 3 where God is said to have commanded the Israelites to 
perform this rite, and thereby establish a covenant between him and 
his chosen people: 

“ This is my covenant (said the Lord), which ye shall keep, between me and 
you and thy seed after thee; every male child among you shall be circumcised.” 

“We need not doubt” says the Eev. Dr. Giles, “that a Divine 
command was given to Abraham that all his posterity should prac¬ 
tice the rite of circumcision.” 3 

Such may be the case. If we believe that the Lord of the 
Universe communes with man, we need not doubt this; yet, we are 
compelled to admit that nations other than the Hebrews practiced 
this rite. The origin of it, however, as practiced among other 
nations, has never been clearly ascertained. It has been maintained 
by some scholars that this rite drew its origin from considerations of 
health and cleanliness, which seems very probable, although doubted 
by many. 4 * Whatever may have been its origin, it is certain 
that it was practiced by many of the ancient Eastern nations, 
who never came in contact with the Hebrews, in early times, and, 
therefore, could not have learned it from them. 

The Egyptians practiced circumcision at a very early period, 6 


1 Giles : Hebrew and Christian Records, vol. 
j. p. 249. 

2 Genesis, xvii. 10. 

3 Giles: HebrewandChristianRecords,vol. 

1. p. 251. 

* Mr. Uerbert Spencer shows (Principles of 
Sociology, pp. 290, 295) that the sacrificing of a 
part of the body as a religious offering to their 

deity, was, and is a common practice among 
savage tribes. Circumcision may have origin¬ 


ated in this way. And Mr. Wake, speaking of it, 
says: “ The origin of this custom has not yet, so 
far as I am aware, been satisfactorily explained. 
The idea that, under certain climatic con¬ 
ditions, circumcision is necessary for cleanli¬ 
ness and comfort, does not appear to be well 
founded, as the custom is not universal even 
within the tropics.” (Phallism in Ancient 
Religs., p. 36.) 

6 “ Other men leave their private parts 



I 


86 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


at least as early as the fourth dynasty—pyramid one—and therefore, 
long before the time assigned for Joseph’s entry into Egypt, from 
whom some writers have claimed the Egyptians learned it. 1 

In the decorative pictures of Egyptian tombs, one frequently 
meets with persons on whom the denudation of the prepuce is 
manifested. 2 

On a stone found at Thebes, there is a representation of the 
Circumcision of Harases II. A mother is seen holding her boy’s 
arms back, while the operator kneels in front. 3 All Egyptian 
priests were obliged to be circumcised, 4 and Pythagoras had to 
submit to it before being admitted to the Egyptian sacerdotal 
mysteries. 5 

Herodotus, the Greek historian, says : 

“As this practice can be traced both in Egypt and Ethiopia, to the remotest 
antiquity, it is not possible to say which first introduced it. The Pheuicians 
and Syrians of Palestine acknowledge that they borrowed it from Egypt.” 6 

It lias been recognized among the Kafirs and other tribes of 
Africa.’' It was practiced among the Fijians and Samoans of 
Polynesia , and some races of Australia . 8 The Suzees and the 
Mandingoes circumcise their women. 9 The Assyrians, Colchins , 
Phenicians , and others, practiced it. 10 It has been from time im¬ 
memorial a custom among the Abyssinians , though, at the present 
time, Christians. 11 

The antiquity of the custom may be assured from the fact of 
the New Hollanders , (never known to civilized nations until a few 
years ago) having practiced it. 12 

•The Troglodytes on the shore of the Heel Sea, the Idumeans , 
Ammonites , Moabites and Ishmaelites , had the practice of circum¬ 
cision. 11 

The ancient Mexicans also practiced this rite. 13 It was also 


as they are formed by nature, except those 
who have learned otherwise from them; but 
the Egyptians are circumcised. . . . They 
are circumcised for the sake of cleanliness, 
thinking it better to be clean than handsome.” 
(Herodotus, Book ii. ch. 36.) 

1 We have it also on the authority of Sir 
J. G. Wilkinson that: “ this custom was estab¬ 
lished long before the arrival of Joseph in 
Egypt,” and that “ this is proved by the 
ancient monuments.” (See Prog. Relig. Ideas, 
vol. i. p. 163.) 

2 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, pp. 414, 415. 

3 Ibid, p. 415. 

4 Ibid, and Knight: Ancient Art and Mythol¬ 
ogy, p. 89. 

6 Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 415. 

* Quoted in Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 163. 

« 


See also Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. pp. 
18,19, and Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iv. p. 565. 

7 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 414. 
Amberly : Analysis Religious Belief, p. 67, and 
Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 309. 

8 Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 414, and 
Amberly’s Analysis, pp. C3 and 73. 

0 Amberly : Analysis of Relig. Belief, p. 73. 

10 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 414; Am¬ 
berly’s Analysis, p. 63; Prog. Relig. Ideas, 
vol. i. p. 163, and Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. 
ii. pp. 18, 19. 

11 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 414. 

12 Kendrick's Egypt, quoted by Dunlap : 
Mysteries of Adoni, p. 146. 

13 Amberly’s Analysis, p. 63, and Higgins : 
Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 309, and Acosta, ii. 
369. 




CIRCUMCISION. 


87 


found among tlie Amazon tribes of South America . l These In¬ 
dians, as well as some African tribes, were in the habit of circumcis¬ 
ing their women. Among the Campos , the women circumcised 
themselves, and a man would not marry a woman who was not 
circumcised. 2 They performed this singular rite upon arriving at 
the age of puberty. 3 

Jesus of Nazareth was circumcised, 4 and had he been really the 
founder of the Christian religion, so-called, it would certainly be 
incumbent on all Christians to be circumcised as he was, and to 
observe that Jewish law which he observed, and which he was 
so far from abrogating, that he declared: “ heaven and earth 
shall pass away ” ere “ one jot or one tittle ” of that law should be 
dispensed with. 5 But the Christians are not followers of the 
religion of Jesus. 6 They are followers of the religion of the 
Pagans . This, we believe, we shall be able to show in Part Second 
of this work. 


1 Orton : The Andes and the Amazon, p. 
322. 

2 This was done by cutting off the clytoris. 

3 Orton: The Andes and the Amazon, p. 

322. Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iv. p. 5C3, and Bible 

for Learners, vol. i. p. 319. 

“At the time of the conquest, the Span¬ 
iards found circumcised nations in Central 
America, and on the Amazon, the Tecuna and 
Manaos tribes still ooserve this practice. In 
the South Seas it has been met with among 
three different races, but it is performed in a 
somewhat different manner. On the Austral¬ 
ian continent, not all, but the majority of 
tribes, practiced circumcision. Among the 
Papuans, the inhabitants of New Caledonia 
and the New Hebrides adhere to this custom. 
In his third voyage, Captain Cook found it 


among the inhabitants of the Friendly Islands, 
in particular at Tongataboo, and the younger 
Pritchard bears witness to its practice in the 
Samoa or Fiji groups.” (Oscar Peschel : The 
Races of Man, p. 22.) 

4 Luke, ii. 21. 

6 Matthew, v. 18. 

6 In using the words “the religion of 
Jesus,” we mean simply the religion of Israel. 
We believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew, 
in every sense of the word, and that he did 
not establish a new religion, or preach a new 
doctrine, in any way, shape, or form. “ The 
preacher from the Mount, the prophet of the 
Beatitudes, does but repeat with persuasive 
lips what the Jaw-givers of his race proclaimed 
in mighty tones of command.” (See chap. 

ad.) 



CHAPTER XI. 


CONCLUSION OF PANT FIRST. 

There are many other legends recorded in the Old Testament 
which might be treated at length, but, as we have considered the 
principal and most important, and as we have so much to examine 
in Part Second, which treats of the New Testament, we shall take 
but a passing glance at a few others. 

In Genesis xli. is to be found the story of 

pharaoh’s two dreams, 

which is to the effect that Pharaoh dreamed that he stood by a 
river, and saw come up out of it seven fat kine, and seven lean 
kine, which devoured the fat ones. lie then dreamed that he 
saw seven good ears of corn, on one stalk, spring up out of the 
ground. This was followed by seven poor ears, which sprang up 
after them, and devoured the good ears. 

Pharaoh, upon awaking from his sleep, and recalling the 
dreams which he dreamed, was greatly troubled, “ and he sent and 
called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof, 
and Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none that could 
interpret them unto Pharaoh.” Finally, his chief butler tells him 
of one Joseph, who was skilled in interpreting dreams, and Pharaoh 
orders him to be brought before his presence. lie then repeats 
his dreams to Joseph, who immediately interprets them to the 
great satisfaction of the king. 

A very similar story is related in the Buddhist Fopen-hing — 
one of their sacred books, which has been translated by Prof. 
Samuel Beal—which, in substance, is as follows: 

Suddliodana Raja dreamed seven different dreams in one night, 
when, “ awaking from his sleep, and recalling the visions he had 
seen, was greatly troubled, so that the very hair on his body stood 
erect, and his limbs trembled.” He forthwith summoned to his 
side, within his palace, all the great ministers of his council, and 
[ 88 ] 


CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


89 


exhorted them in these words: “ Most honorable Sirs ! be it known 
to you that during the present night I have seen in my dreams 
strange and potent visions—there were seven distinct dreams, which 
I will now recite (he recites the dreams). I pray yon, honorable 
Sirs! let not these dreams escape your memories, but in the morn¬ 
ing, when I am seated in my palace, and surrounded by my attend¬ 
ants, let them he brought to my mind (that they may be inter¬ 
preted.)” 

At morning light, the king, seated in the midst of his attendants, 
issued his commands to all the Brahmans, interpreters of dreams, 
within his kingdom, in these terms, “All ye men of wisdom, explain 
for me by interpretation the meaning of the dreams I have dreamed 
in my sleep.” 

Then all the wise Brahmans, interpreters of dreams, began to 
consider, each one in his own heart, what the meaning of these 
visions could be; till at last they addressed the king, and said: 
“Maha-raja! be it known to you that we never before have heard 
such dreams as these, and we cannot interpret their meaning .” 

On hearing this, Suddhodana was very troubled in his heart, and 
exceeding distressed. Tie thought within himself : “ Who is there 
that can satisfy these doubts of mine ?” 

Finally a “ holy one,” called T’so-Ping, being present in the 
inner palace, and perceiving the sorrow and distress of the king, 
assumed the appearance of a Brahman, and under this form he 
stood at the gate of the king’s palace, and cried out, saying : “ I am 
able fully to interpret the dreams of Suddhodana Baja, and with 
certainty to satisfy all the doubts.” 

The king ordered him to be brought before his presence, and 
then related to him his dreams. Upon hearing them, T'so-Ping 
immediately interpreted them, to the great satisfaction of the king. 1 

In the second chapter of Exodus we read of 

MOSES THROWN INTO THE NILE, 

which is done by command of the king. 

There are many counterparts to this in ancient mythology; 
among them may be mentioned that of the infant Perseus, who 
was, by command of the king (Acrisius of Argos), shut up in a 
chest, and cast into the sea. He was found by one Dictys, who 
took great care of the child, and—as Pharoah’s daughter did with 
the child Moses—educated him. 2 

J See Beal: Hist. Buddha, p. Ill, etseq. Ancient Art and Mytlio., p. 178, and Bulfinch : 

a Bell’s Pantheon, under ‘-Perseus;” Knight: Age of Fables, p. 161. 




90 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The infant Bacchus was confined in a chest, by order of Cadmus, 
King of Thebes, and thrown into the Nile. 1 He, like Moses, had 
two mothers, one by nature, the other by adoption. 2 He was also, 
like Moses, represented horned . 3 

Osiris was also confined in a chest, and thrown into the river 
Nile. 4 

When Osiris was shut into the coffer, and cast into the river, he 
floated to Plienicia, and was there received under the name of 
Adonis. Isis (his mother, or wife) wandered in quest of him, 
came to Byblos, and seated herself by a fountain in silence and 
tears. She was then taken by the servants of the royal palace, and 
made to attend on the young prince of the land. In like manner. 
Demeter, after Aidoneus had ravished her daughter, went in pur¬ 
suit, reached Eleusis, seated herself by a well, conversed with the 
daughters of the queen, and became nurse to her son.* So likewise, 
when Moses was put into the ark made of bulrushes, and cast 
into the Nile, he was found by the daughters of Pharaoh, and his 
own mother became his nurse. 6 This is simply another version of 
the same myth. 

In the second chapter of the second book of Kings, we read of 

ELIJAll ASCENDING TO HEAVEN. 


There are many counterparts to this, in heathen mythology. 

Hindoo sacred writings relate many such stories—how some of 
their Holy Ones were taken up alive into heaven—and impressions 
on rocks are shown, said to be foot-prints, made when they 
ascended. 7 

According to Babylonian mythology, Xisthus was translated to 
heaven. 8 

The story of Elijah ascending to heaven in a chariot of fire may 
also be compared to the fiery, flame-red chariot of Ushas . 9 This 
idea of some Holy One ascending to heaven without dying was 
found in the ancient mythology of the Chinese . 10 

The story of 

DAVID KILLING GOLIATH, 


by throwing a stone and hitting him in the forehead, 11 may be com- 


6 Baring-Gould : Orig. Eelig. Belief, i. 159. 
6 Exodus, ii. 


* Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 118. Taylor’s 

Diegesis, p. 190. Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. 
ii. p. 19. 2 Ibid. 

3 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 122. Dupuis : 
Origin of Itcligious Belief, p. 174. Goldzhier : 
Hebrew Mythology, p. 179. Higgins : Anaca¬ 
lypsis, vol. ii. p. 19. 

* Bell’s Pantheon, art. “ Osiris and Bul- 
finch : Age of Fable, p. 391. 


T See Child : Prog. Eelig. Ideas, vol. i. p. C, 
and most any work on Buddhism. 

8 See Smith : Chaldean Account of Genesis. 
8 See Goldzhier : Hebrew Mythology, p. 128, 
note. 

See Prog. Eelig. Ideas, vol.i. pp. 213, 214. 
11 1. Samuel, xvii. 




CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


91 


« 

pared to the story of Thor , tlie Scandinavian liero, throwing a 
hammer at Hrungnir, and striking him in the forehead. 1 

We read in Numbers 2 that 

Balaam’s ass spoke 

to his master, and reproved him. 

In ancient fables or stories in which animals play prominent 
parts, each creature is endowed with the power of speech. This 
idea was common in the whole of Western Asia and Egypt. It is 
found in various Egyptian and Chaldean stories. 3 Ilomer has re¬ 
corded that the horse of Achilles spoke to him. 4 

We have also a very wonderful story in that of 

josiiua’s command to the sun. 

This story is related in the tenth chapter of the book of Joshua, 
and is to the effect that the Israelites, who were at battle with the 
Amorites, wished the day to be lengthened that they might con¬ 
tinue their slaughter, whereupon Joshua said: “Sun, stand thou 
still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And 
the sun stood still , and the moon stayed, until the people had 
avenged themselves upon their enemies. . . . And there was 

no day like that before it or after it.” 

There are many stories similar to this, to be found among other 
nations of antiquity. We have, as an example, that which is re¬ 
lated of Bacchus in the Orphic hymns, wherein it says that this 
god-man arrested the course of the sun and the moon. 5 

An Indian legend relates that the sun stood still to hear the 
pious ejaculations of Arjouan after the death of Crishna. 0 

A holy Buddhist by the name of Matanga prevented the sun, 
at his command, from rising, and bisected the moon. 7 Arresting 
the course of the sun was a common thing among the disciples of 
Buddha. 8 

The Chinese also, had a legend of the sun standing still, 9 and 
a legend was found among the Ancient Mexicans to the effect 
that one of * their holy persons commanded the sun to stand still, 
which command was obeyed. 10 


1 See Goldzhier : Hebrew Mythology, p. 430, 

and Bnlfinch : Age of Fable, 440. • 

3 Chapter xxii. 

3 See Smith’s Chaldean Account of Genesis, 
p. 138, et seq. 

4 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 323. 

6 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19. 


6 Ibid, i. 191, and ii. 241; Franklin : Bud. & 
Jeyues, 174. 

7 Hardy : Buddhist Legends, pp. 50, 53, and 
140. 

3 See Ibid. 

0 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 191. 

Ibid, p. 39. 




92 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


We shall now endeavor to answer the question which must 
naturally arise in the minds of all who see, for the first time, the 
similarity in the legends of the Hebrews and those of other nations, 
namely: have the Hebrews copied from other nations, or, have 
other nations copied from the Hebrews % To answer this question 
we shall; first , give a brief account or history of the Pentateuch 
and other books of the Old Testament from which we have taken 
legends, and show about what time they were written; and, second , 
show that other nations were possessed of these legends long 
before that time, and that the Jews copied from them. 

The Pentateuch is ascribed, in our modern translations, to 
Moses , and he is generally supposed to be the author. This is 
altogether erroneous, as Moses had nothing ichatever to do with 
these five books. Pishop Colenso, speaking of this, says: 

“ The books of tbe Pentateuch are never ascribed to Moses in the inscriptions of 
Hebrew manuscripts, or in printed copies of the Hebrew Bible. Nor are they stjded 
tbe ‘ Boohs of Moses ’ in tbe Septuagint 1 or Vulgate, 2 but only in our modern 
translations, after tbe example of many eminent Fathers of tbe Cburcli, who, 
with the exception of Jerome, and, perhaps, Origen, were, one and all of them, 
very little acquainted with the Hebrew language, and still less with its criti¬ 
cism.” 3 

The author of “ The Peligion of Israel,” referring to this subject, 
says: 

“ The Jews who lived after the Babylonish Captivity, and the Christians fol¬ 
lowing their examples, ascribed these books (the Pentateuch) to Moses; and for 
many centuries tbe notion was cherished that be bad really written them. But 
strict and impartial investigation has sho wn that this opinion must be given up ; and 
that nothing in the whole Law really comes from Moses himself except tbe Ten 
Commandments. And even these were not delivered by him in the same form as we find 
them now. If we still call these books by his name, it is only because tbe Israel¬ 
ites always thought of him as their first and greatest law-giver, and the actual 
authors grouped all their narratives and laws around his figure, and associated them 
with his name .” 4 

As we cannot go into an extended account, and show hoio this 
is blown, we will simply say that it is principally by internal 
evidence that these facts are ascertained. 5 6 


1 “ Septuagint.”—The Old Greek version of 
the Old Testament. 

2 “ Vulgate.”—The Latin version of the Old 
Testament. 

3 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. ii. pp. 180, 

187. 

* The Religion of Israel, p. 9. 

6 Besides the many other facts which show 
that the Pentateuch was not composed until 
long after the time of Moses and Joshua, the 
following may be mentioned as examples: 


Gilyal, mentioned in Deut. xi. 30, was not given 
as the name of that place till after the entrance 
into Canaan. Dan , mentioned in Genesis xiv. 
14, was not so called till long after the time of 
Moses. In Gen. xxxvi. 31, the beginning of the 
reign of the kings over Israel is spoken of his¬ 
torically, an event which did not occur before 
the time of Samuel. (Sec, for further informa¬ 
tion, Bishop Colenso s Pentateuch Examined, 
vol. ii. ch. v. and vi. 






CONCLUSION 0,F PART FIRST. 


93 


Now that wo have seen that Moses did not write the books of 
the Pentateuch, our next endeavor will be to ascertain when they 
were written, and by whom. 

We can say that they were not written by any one person, nor 
were they written at the same time. 

We can trace three principal redactions of the Pentateuch, that 
is to say, the material was worked over , and re-edited, with mod¬ 
ifications and additions , by different people, at three distinct 
epochs . 1 

The two principal writers are generally known as the Jehovistic 
and the Elohistic. We have—in speaking of the “Eden Myth” 
and the legend of the “ Deluge ”■—already alluded to this fact, and 
have illustrated how these writers’ narratives conflict with each 
other. 

The Jehovistic writer is supposed to have been a prophet, who, 
it would seem, was anxious to give Israel a history. He begins 
at Genesis, ii. 4, with a short account of the “ Creation ,” and then 
lie carries the story on regularly until the Israelites enter Canaan. 
It is to him that we are indebted for the charming pictures of the 
patriarchs. lie took these from other writings, or from the popu¬ 
lar legends? 

About 725 b. c. the Israelites were conquered by Salmanassar, 
King of Assyria, and many of them were canned away captives. 
Their place was supplied by Assyrian colonists from Babylon, 
Persia, and other places? This fact is of the greatest importance, 
and should not be forgotten, as we find that the first of the three 
writers of the Pentateuch, spoken of above, icrote about this time, 
and the Israelites heard, from the colonists from Babylon, 
Persia, and other places—for the first time—many of the legends 
which this writer wove into the fabulous history which he wrote, 
especially the accounts of the Creation and the Deluge. 

The Pentateuch remained in this, its first form, until the year 
620 b. c. Then a certain priest of marked prophetic sympathies 
wrote a book of law which has come down to us in Deuteronomy, 
iv. 44, to xxvi., and xxviii. Here we find the demands which the 
Mosaic party at that day were making thrown into the form of 
laws. It was by King Josiah that this book was first introduced 
and proclaimed as authoritative. 4 It was soon afterwards wove into 
the work of th o first Pentateuchian writer, and at the same time 


1 The Religion of Israel, p. 9 
9 Ibid. p. 10. 


* Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Jews.” 
I* The Religion of Israel, pp. 10, 11. 




94 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


“ a few new passages ” were added, some of which related to 
Joshua, the successor of Moses. 1 

At this period in Israel’s history, Jehovah had become almost 
forgotten, and “other gods” had taken his place. 2 The Mosaic 
party, so called—who worshiped Jehovah exclusively—were in the 
minority, but when King Ainon—who was a worshiper of Moloch 
—died, and was succeeded by his son Josiah, a change imme¬ 
diately took place. This young prince, who was only eight years 
old at the death of his father, the Mosaic party succeeded in 
winning over to their interests. In the year 621 b. c., Josiah, 
now in the eighteenth year of his reign, began a thorough ref¬ 
ormation which completely answered to the ideas of the Mosaic 
party. 3 

It was during this time that the second Pentateuchian writer 
wrote, and he makes Moses speak as the law-giver. This writer 
was probably Ililkiah, who claimed to have found a booh, written 
by Moses, in the temple , 4 although it had only gust been drawn 
up? 

The principal objections which were brought against the claims 
of Ililkiah, but which are not needed in the present age of inquiry, 
was that Shaphan and Josiah read it otf, not as if it were an old. 
book, but as though it had been recently written, when any person 
who is acquainted, in the slightest degree, with language, must 
know that a man could not read olf, at once, a booh written eight 
hundred years before. The phraseology would necessarily be so 
altered by time as to render it comparatively unintelligible. 

We must now turn to the third Pentateuchian writer, whose 
writings were published 444 b. c. 

At that time Ezra (or Ezdras) added to the work of his two 
predecessors a series of laws and narratives which had been drawn 
up by some of the priests in Babylon? This “series of laws and 
narratives,” which was written by “ some of the (Israelitish) priests 
in Babylon,” was called “ The Booh of Origins ” (probably con¬ 
taining the Babylonian account of the “ Origin of Things or the 
“ Creation ”). Ezra brought the book from Babylon to Jerusalem. 
He made some modifications in it and constituted it a code of 
law for Israel, dove-tailing it into those parts of the Pentateuch 
which existed before. A few alterations and additions were subse- 


1 The Religion of Israel, p. 11. 

3 Sec Ibid, pp. 120, 122. 

8 See Ibid, p. 122. 

4 The account of the finding of this book by 


Hilkiah is to be found in II. Chronicles, ch. 
xxxiv. 

6 See Religion of Israel, pp. 124,125. 

0 Ibid,p. 11. 




CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


95 


quently made, but these are of minor importance, and we may 
fairly say that Ezra put the Pentateuch into the form in which we 
have it (about 444 b. c.). 

These priestly passages are partly occupied with historical 
matter, comprising a very free account of things from the creation 
of the world to the arrival of Israel in Canaan. Everything is 
here presented from the priestly point of view; some events, else¬ 
where recorded, are touched up in the priestly spirit , and others 
are entirely inventedS 

It was the belief of the Jews, asserted by the PirJce Ahoth 
(Sayings of the Fathers), one of the oldest books of the Talmud , 1 * 3 
as well as other Jewish records, that Ezra, acting in accordance 
with a divine commission, re-wrote the Old Testament, the manu¬ 
scripts of which were said to have been lost in the destruction of 
the first temple, when Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem. 3 This we 
Jcnow could not have been the case. The fact that Ezra wrote— 
adding to, and taking from the already existing books of the 
Pentateuch—was probably the foundation for this tradition. The 
account of it is to be found in the Apocryphal book of Esdras, a 
book deemed authentic by the Greek Church. 

Dr. Knappert, speaking of this, says: 

“For many centuries, both the Christians and the Jews supposed that Ezra 
had brought together the sacred writings of his people, united them in one whole, 
and introduced them as a book given by the Spirit of God—a Holy Scripture. 

“The only authority for this supposition wais a very modern and altogether 
untrustworthy tradition. The historical and critical studies of our times have 
been emancipated from the influence of this tradition, and the most ancient 
statements with regard to the subject have been hunted up and compared to¬ 
gether. These statements are, indeed, scanty and incomplete, and many a 
detail is still obscure; but the main facts have been completely ascertained. 

“ Before the Babylonish captivity, Israel had no sacred writings. There were 
certain laws, prophetic writings, and a few historical books, but no one had 
ever thought of ascribing binding and divine authority to these documents. 

“ Ezra brought the priestly law with him from Babylon, altering it and amalga¬ 
mating it with the narratives and laws already in existence, and thus produced the 
Pentateuch in pretty much the same form (though not quite, as we shall show) 
as we still have it. These books got the name of the ‘Law of Moses,’ or simply the 
‘ Law.’ Ezra introduced them into Israel (b. c. 444), and gave them binding 
authority, arid from that time forward they were considered divine.”* 

From the time of Ezra until the year 287 b. c., when the 
Pentateuch was translated into Greek by order of Ptolemy Phila- 


1 The Religion of Israel, pp. 18G, 187. * See Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Bible.” 

a “ Talmud ."—The books containing the * The Religion of Israel, pp. 240, 241. 

Jewish traditions. 




90 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


delphus, King of Egypt, these boohs evidently underwent some 
changes. This the writer quoted above admits, in saying: 

“Later still (viz., after the time of Ezra), a few more changes and additions 
were made, and so the Pentateuch grew into its present form.” 1 

In answer to those who claim that the Pentateuch was written 
by one person, Bishop Colenso says: 

“ It is certainly inconceivable that, if the Pentateuch be the production of one 
and the same hand throughout, it should contain such a number of glaring incon¬ 
sistencies. . . . No single author could have been guilty of such absurdi¬ 

ties; but it is quite possible, and what was almost sure to happen in such a case, 
that, if the Pentateuch be the work of different authors in different ages, this 
fact should betray itself by the existence of contradictions in the narrative ,” 2 

Having ascertained the origin of the Pentateuch, or first five 
books of the Old Testament, it will be unnecessary to refer to the 
others here , as we have nothing to do with them in our investiga¬ 
tions. Suffice it to say then, that: “ In the earlier period after 
Ezra, none of the other boohs which already existed, enjoyed the 
same authority as the Pentateuch.” 3 

It is probable 4 that Nehemiah made a collection of historical 
and prophetic books, songs, and letters from Persian kings , not 
to form a second collection, but for the purpose of saving them 
from being lost. The scribes of Jerusalem, followers of Ezra, 
who were known as “ the men of the Great Synagogue,” were the 
collectors of the second and third' divisions of the Old Testament. 
They collected together the historical and prophetic books, songs, 
Ac., which were then in existence, and after altering many of 
them, they were added to the collection of sacred books. It must 
not be supposed that any fixed plan was pursued in this work, or 
that the idea was entertained from the first, that these books would 
one day stand on the same level with the Pentateuch . 6 

In the course of time, however, many of the Jews began to 
consider some of these books as sacred. The Alexandrian J ews 
adopted books into the canon which those of Jerusalem did not, 
and this difference of opinion lasted for a long time, even till the 
second century after Christ. It was not until this time that all 
the books of the Old Testament acquired divine authorityf It 
is not known, however, just when the canon of the Old Testament 
was closed. The time and manner in which it teas done is alto - 


1 The Religion of Israel, p. 11. 

2 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. ii. p. 173. 

8 The Religion of Israel, p. 241. 


4 On the strength of II. Maccabees, ii. 13. 
9 The Religion of Israel, p. 242. 

• Ibid, p. 243. 





CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


97 


qether obscure . 1 2 Jewish tradition indicates that the full canonicity 
of several books was not free from doubt till the time of the 
famous Rabbi Akiba , 9 who flourished about the beginning of the 
second century after Christ . 3 

After giving a history of the books of the Old Testament, the 
author of “ The Religion of Israel,” whom we have followed in this 
investigation, says: 

“ The great majority of the writers of the Old Testament had no other source 
of information about the past history of Israel than simple tradition. Indeed, it 
could not have been otherwise, for in primitive times no one used to record any¬ 
thing in writing, and the only way of preserving a knowledge of the past was to 
hand it down by word of mouth. The father told the son what his elders 
had told him, and the son handed it on to the next generation. 

“ Not only did the historian of Israel draw from tradition with perfect free¬ 
dom, and write down without hesitation anything they heard and what was 
current in the mouths of the people, but they did not shrink from modifying their 
representation of the past in any way that they thought would be good and useful. 
It is difficult for us to look at things from this point.of view, because our ideas 
of historical good faith are so utterly different. When we write history, we 
know that we ought to be guided solely by a desire to represent facts exactly as 
they really happened. All that w T e are concerned with is reality; we want to 
make the old times live again, and we take all possible pains not to remodel the 
past from the point of view of to day. All we want to know is what happened, 
and how men lived, thought, and worked in those days. The Israelites had a 
very different notion of the nature of historical composition. When a prophet 
or a priest related something about bygone times, his object was not to convey 
knowledge about those times; on the contrary, he used history merely as a 
vehicle for the conveyance of instruction and exhortation. Not only did he 
confine his narrative to such matters as he thought would serve his purpose, 
but he never hesitated to modify what he knew of the past, and he did not think 
twice about touching it up from his own imagination, simply that it might be more 
conducive to the end he had in view and chime in better with his opinions. All the 
past became colored through and through with the tinge of his own mind. Our own 
notions of honor and good faith would never permit all this; but we must not 
measure ancient writers by our own standard; they considered that they were 
acting quite wdtliin their rights and in strict accordance with duty and con¬ 
science .” 4 

It will be noticed that, in our investigations on the authority of 
the Pentateuch, we have followed, principally, Dr. Knappert’s 
ideas as set forth in “ The Religion of Israel.” 

This we have done because we could not go into an extended 
investigation, and because his words are very expressive, and just 
to the point. To those who may think that his ideas are not the 
same as those entertained by other Biblical scholars of the present 


1 Chambers's Encyclo., art. “ Bible.” 3 Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Akiba.” 

2 Ibul. * The Religion of Israel, pp. 19, 23. 


7 



98 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


day, we subjoin, in a note below, a list of works to winch they are 
referred. 1 

We shall now, after giving a brief history of the Pentateuch, 
refer to the legends of which we have been treating, and endeavor 
to show from whence the Hebrews borrowed them. The first of 
these is “ The Creation and Fall of Man.” 

Egypt, the country out of which the Israelites came, had no 
story of the Creation and Fall of Man, such as we have found 
among the Hebrews ; they therefore could not have learned it from 
them. .The Chaldeans , however, as we saw in our first chapter, 
had this legend, and it is from them that the Hebrews borrowed 
it. 

The account which we have given of the Chaldean story of the 
Creation and Fall of Man, was taken, as we stated, from the writings 
of Berosus, the Chaldean historian, who lived in the time of 
Alexander the Great (356-325 b. c.), and as the Jews were ac- 
quainted with the story some centuries earlier than this, his works 
did not prove that these traditions were in Babylonia before the 
Jewish captivity, and could not afford testimony in favor of the 
statement that the Jew T s borrowed this legend from the Babylonians 
at that time. It was left for Mr. George Smith, of the British 
Museum, to establish, without a doubt, the fact that this legend 
was known to the Babylonians at least two thousand years before 
the time assigned for the birth of Jesus. The cuneiform inscrip¬ 
tions discovered by him, while on an expedition to Assyria, 
organized by the London “ Daily Telegraph,” was the means of 
doing this, and although by far the greatest number of those 
tablets belong to the age of Assurbanipal, who reigned over 
Assyria b. c. 670, it is “ acknowledged on all hands that these 
tablets are not the originals, but are only copies from earlier 
texts.” “ The Assyrians acknowledge themselves that this litera¬ 
ture was borrowed from Babylonian sources, and of course it is to 
Babylonia we have to look to ascertain the approximate dates of 
the original documents.” 2 Mr. Smith then shows, from “frag¬ 
ments of the Cuneiform account of the Creation and Fail ” which 
have been discovered, that, “ in the period from b. c. 2000 to 

1 “ What is the Bible,” by J. T. Sunderland. Bishop Colenso. Prof. F. W. Newman's “ He- 
“ The Bible of To-day,” by J. W. Chadwick. brew Monarchy.” “The Bible for Learners” 
“ Hebrew and Christian Records,” by the Rev. (vols. i. and ii.), by Prof. Oot and others. “ The 
Dr. Giles, 2. vols. Prof. W. R. Smith’s article Old Testament in the Jewish Church,” by 
on “ The Bible,” in the last edition of the En- Prof. Robertson Smith, and Kucnen’sRe- 
cyclopaedia Britannica. “Introduction to the ligion of Israel.” 

Old Testament,” by Davidson. “ The Penta- 2 Smith : Chaldean Account of Genesis, pp. 
teuck and the Book of Joshua Examined,” by 22, 29. 





CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


99 


1500, the Babylonians believed in a story similar to that in 
Genesis .” It is probable, however, says Mr. Smith, that this 
legend existed as traditions in the country long before it icas 
committed to writing , and some of these traditions exhibited great 
difference in details, showing that they had passed through many 
changes} 

Professor James Fergusson, in his celebrated work on “ Tree 
and Serpent Worship,” says : 

“ The two chapters which refer to this (i. e., the Garden, the Tree, and the 
Serpent), as indeed the whole of the first eight of Genesis, are now generally 
admitted by scholars to be made up of fragments of earlier books or earlier tra¬ 
ditions, belonging, properly speaking, to Mesopotamia rather than to Jewish 
history, the exact meaning of which the writers of the Pentateuch seem hardly 
to have appreciated when they transcribed them in the form in which they are 
now found .” 1 2 

John Fiske says: 

“The story of the Serpent in Eden is an Aryan story in every particular. 
The notion of Satan as the author of evil appears only in the later books, com¬ 
posed after the Jews had come into close contact with Persian ideas .”' 6 

Prof. John W. Draper says : 

“ In the old legends of dualism, the evil spirit was said to have sent a serpent 
to ruin Paradise. These legends became known to the Jews during their Baby¬ 
lonian captivity. ’ ’ 4 

Professor Goldzhier also shows, in his “ Mythology Among 
the Hebrews,” 5 that the story of the creation was borrowed by the 
Hebrews from the Babylonians. He also informs us that the 
notion of the bore and ydser , “ Creator” (the term used in the 
cosmogony in Genesis) as an integral part of the idea of God, are 
first brought into use by the prophets of the captivity. “ Thus 
also the story of the Garden of Eden , as a supplement to the 
history of the Creation, was written down at Babylon .” 

Strange as it may appear, after the Genesis account, we may pass 
through the whole Pentateuch, and other books of the Old Testa¬ 
ment, clear to the end, and will find that the story of the “ Garden 
of Eden ” and “ Fall of Manf is hardly alluded to, if at all. Kenaan 
says of this: “One single certain trace of the employment of the 
story of Adam’s fall is entirely wanting in the Hebrew Canon 
(after the Genesis account). Adam, Eve, the Serpent, the woman’s 


1 Ibid, pp. 29, 100. Also, Assyrian Discov- 3 Myths and Myth-Makers, p. 112. 

eries, p. 397. 4 Draper : Religion and Science, p. 62. 

2 Tree and Serpent Worship, pp. 6, 7. 5 Goldzhier : Hebrew Mythology, p, 323, et 

seq. 




100 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


seduction of lier husband, &c., are all images, to which the remain¬ 
ing words of the Israelites never again recurI 1 

This circumstance can only be explained by the fact that the 
first chapters of Genesis were not written until after the other 
portions had been written. 

It is worthy of notice, that this story of the Fall of Man, upon 
which the whole orthodox scheme of a divine Saviour or Re¬ 
deemer is based, was not considered by the learned Israelites as 
fact. They simply looked upon it as a story which satisfied the 
ignorant, but which should be considered as allegory by the 
learned. 2 

Rabbi Maimonides (Moses Ben Maim on), one of the most cele¬ 
brated of the Rabbis, says on this subject:— 

“We must not understand, or take in a literal sense, what is written in the 
book on the Creation, nor form of it the same ideas which are participated by the 
generality of mankind; otherwise our ancient sages would not have so much recom¬ 
mended to us, to hide the real meaning of it, and not to lift the allegorical veil, which 
covers the truth contained therein. When taken in its literal sense, the work gives 
the most absurd and most extravagant ideas of the Deity. ‘ Whosoever should 
divine its true meaning ought to take great care in not divulging it.’ This is a 
maxim repeated to us by,all our sages, principally concerning the understanding 
of the work of the six days.” 3 

Philo, a Jewish writer contemporary with Jesus, held the same 
opinion of the character of the sacred books of the Hebrews. lie 
has made two particular treatises, bearing the title of “ The 
Allegories ,” and he traces back to the allegorical sense the u Tree 
of Life,” the “ Rivers of Paradise,” and the other fictions of the 
Genesis. 4 

Many of the early Christian Fathers declared that, in the story 
of the Creation and Fall of Man, there was but an allegorical 
fiction. Among these may be mentioned St. Augustine, who 
speaks of it in his “ City of God,” and also Origen, who says: 

“What man of sense will agree with the statement that the first, second, and 
third days, in which the evening is named and the morning, were without sun, 
moon and stars ? What man is found such an idiot as to suppose that God 
planted trees in Paradise like an husbandman? 1 believe that every man must 
hold these things for images under which a hidden sense is concealed .” 5 


1 Quoted by Bishop Colenso : The Penta¬ 
teuch Examined, iv. 285. 

2 “Much of the Old Testament which Chris¬ 

tian divines, in their ignorance of Jewish lore, 
have insisted on receiving and interpreting 
literally, the informed Rabbis never dreamed 

of regarding as anything but allegorical. The 

‘ literalists' they called fools. The account of 
the Creation was one of the portions which 


the unlearned were specially forbidden to med¬ 
dle with.” (Greg : The Creed of Christendom, 
p. 80.) 

3 Quoted by Dupuis : Origin of Religious 
Belief, p. 22G. 

4 See Ibid. p. 227. 

6 Quoted by Dunlap : Mysteries of Adoni, 
p. 17G. See also, Bunsen : Keys of St. Petei, 
p. 40G. 




CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


101 


Origen believed aright, as it is now almost universally admitted, 
that the stories of the “ Garden of Eden,” the “ Elysian Fields,” 
the “ Garden of the Blessed,” &c., which were the abode of the 
blessed, where grief and sorrow could not approach them, where 
plague and sickness could not touch them, were founded on alle¬ 
gory. These abodes of delight were far away in the West, where 
the sun goes down beyond the bounds of the earth. They were the 
“ Golden Islands” sailing in a sea of blue— the burnished clouds 
floating in the pure ether. In a word, the “ Elysian Fields ” are 
the clouds at eventide. The picture was suggested by the images 
drawn from the phenomena of sunset and twilight. 1 

Eating of the forbidden fruit was simply a figurative mode of 
expressing the performance of the act necessary to the perpetua¬ 
tion of the human race. The “ Tree of Knowledge ” was a Phallic 
tree, and the fruit which grew upon it was Phallic fruit. 2 

In regard to the story of “ The Deluge ,” we have already seen 3 
that “ Egyptian records tell nothing of a cataclysmal deluge,” and 
that, u the land was never visited by other than its annual benefi¬ 
cent overflow of the river Kile.” Also, that “the Pharaoh Kliou- 
fou-cheops was building his pyramid, according to Egyptian chroni¬ 
cle, when the whole world was under the waters of a universal 
deluge, according to the Hebrew chronicle.” This is sufficient 
evidence that the Hebrews did not borrow the legend from the 
Egyptians. 

We have also seen, in the chapter that treated of this legend, 
that it corresponded in all the principal features with the Chaldean 
account. We shall now show that it was taken from this. 

Mr. Smith discovered, on the site of Hinevali, during the years 
1873-4, cylinders belonging to the early Babylonian monarchy, 
(from 2500 to 1500 n. c.) which contained the legend of the flood, 4 
and which we gave in Chapter II. This was the foundation for 
the Hebrew legend , and they learned it at the time of the Cap¬ 
tivity? The myth of Deucalion, the Grecian hero, was also taken 
from the same source. The Greeks learned it from the Chaldeans. 

We read in Chambers’s Encyclopaedia, that: 

“It was at one time extensively believed, even by intelligent scholars, that 


1 See Appendix, c. 

2 See Westopp & Wakes, “ Phallic Wor¬ 
ship.” 

3 In chap. ii. 

4 See Assyrian Discoveries, pp. 1C7, 1C8, and 
Chaldean Account of Genesis. 


6 ‘‘Upon the carrying away of the Jews to 
Babylon, they were brought into contact with a 
flood of Iranian as well as Chaldean myths, and 
adopted them without hesitation.'''' (S. Buring- 
Gould : Curious Myths, p. 31C.) 



102 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


the myth of Deucalion was a corrupted tradition of the Noacldan deluge, but 
this untenable opinion is now all but universally abandoned.” 1 

This idea was abandoned after it was found that the Deu¬ 
calion myth was older than the Hebrew. 

What was said in regard to the Eden story not being mentioned 
in other portions of the Old Testament save in Genesis, also ap¬ 
plies to this story of the Deluge. Nowhere in the other books of 
the Old Testament is found any reference to this story, except in 
Isaiah, where “the waters of Noah” are mentioned, and in Ezekiel, 
where simply the name of Noah is mentioned. 

We stated in Chapter II. that some persons saw in this story an 
astronomical myth. Although not generally admitted, yet there 
are very strong reasons for believing this to be the case. 

According to the Chaldean account—which is the oldest one 
known—there were seven persons saved in the ark. 2 There were 
also seven persons saved, according to some of the Hindoo ac¬ 
counts. 3 That this referred to the sun, moon, and five planets looks 
very probable. We have also seen that Noah was the tenth patri¬ 
arch, and Xisthrus (who is the Chaldean hero) was the tenth king. 4 
Now, according to the Babylonian table, their Zodiac contained 
ten gods called the “ Ten Zodiac gods.” 5 They also believed that 
whenever all the planets met in the sign of Capricorn, the whole 
earth was overwhelmed with a deluge of water? The Hindoos and 
other nations had a similar belief. 7 

It is well known that the Chaldeans were great astronomers. 
When Alexander the Great conquered the city of Babylon, the 
Chaldean priests boasted to the Greek philosophers, who followed 
his army, that they had continued their astronomical calculations 
through a period of more than forty thousand years. 8 Although 
this statement cannot be credited, yet the great antiquity of Chal¬ 
dea cannot be doubted, and its immediate connection with Hin- 
dostan, or Egypt, is abundantly proved by the little that is known 
concerning its religion, and by the few fragments that remain of 
its former grandeur. 

In regard to the story of “ The Tourer of Babel ” little need be 
said. This, as well as the story of the Creation and Fall of Man, 
and the Deluge, was borrowed from the Babylonians. 9 


1 Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Deucalion.” 

2 See chapter ii. 

3 Prog. Iielig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 185, and 
Maurice : Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 277. 

4 Chapter ii. 

6 See Dunlap’s Son of the Man, p. 153, note. 


6 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 254. 

7 See Ibid, p. 337. 

8 See Ibid, p. 252. 

9 Goldzhier : Hebrew Mythology, pp. 130 - 
135, and Smith’s Chaldean Account of Gene¬ 
sis. 




CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


103 


“ It seems,” says George Smith, “ from the indications in the 
(cuneiform) inscriptions, that there happened in the interval be¬ 
tween 2000 and 1850 b. c. a general collection of the development 
of the various- traditions of the Creation, Flood, Tower of Babel, 
and other similar legends.” “ These legends were, however, tra¬ 
ditions before they were committed to writing, and were common 
in some form to all the country .” l 

The Tower of Babel, or the confusion of tongues, is nowhere 
alluded to in the Old Testament outside of Genesis, where the 
story is related. 

The next story in order is “ The Trial of Abraham's Faith." 

In this connection we have shown similar legends taken from 
Grecian mythology, which legends may have given the idea to the 
writer of the Hebrew story. 

It may appear strange that the Hebrews should have been 
acquainted with Grecian mythology, yet we know this was the 
case. The fact is accounted for in the following manner: 

Many of the Jews taken captive at the Ebionite sack of Jerusa¬ 
lem were sold to the Grecians , 2 who took them to their country. 
While there, they became acquainted with Grecian mythoses, and 
when they returned from “ the Islands of the Sea ”—as they called 
the Western countries— they brought them to Jerusalem . 3 4 

This legend, as we stated in the chapter which treated of it, was 
written at the time when the Mosaic party in Israel were endeavor¬ 
ing to abolish human sacrifices and other “ abominations,” and the 
author of the story invented it to make it appear that the Lord 
Iiad abolished them in the time of Abraham. The earliest Tar gum? 
knows nothing about the legend, showing that the story was not 
in the Pentateuch at the time this Targum was written. 

We have also seen that a story written by Sanchoniathon (about 
jb. c. 1300) of one Saturn, whom the Phenicians called Israel , bore 
a resemblance to the Hebrew legend of Abraham. Now, Count 
de Volney tells us that “a similar tradition prevailed among the 
Chaldeans ,” and that they had the history of one Zerban —which 
means “ rich-in-gold ” 5 —that corresponded in many respects with 
the history of Abraham. 6 It may, then, have been from the Chal¬ 
dean story that the Hebrew fable writer got his idea. 


1 Chaldean Account of Genesis, pp. 27, 28. 

2 See Joel, iii. 16. 

3 See Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. G85. 

4 “ Targum .""—The general term for the Ara¬ 

maic versions of the Old Testament. 


6 In Genesis xxiii. 2, Abraham is called rich 
in gold and in silver. 

6 See Volney’s Researches in Ancient His¬ 
tory, pp. 144-147. 



104 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The next legend which we examined was that of u Jacob's 
Vision of tlw Ladder .” We claimed that it probably referred to 
the doctrine of the transmigration of souls from one body into 
another, and also gave the apparent reason for the invention of the 
story. 

The next story was “ The Exodus from Egypt , and Passage 
through the Red Sea” in which we showed, from Egyptian history, 
that the Israelites were turned out of the country on account of 
their uncleanness, and that the wonderful exploits recorded of 
Moses were simply copies of legends related of the Grecian Bacchus. 
These legends came from “ the Islands of the Sea,” and came in 
very handy for the Hebrew fable writers; it saved them the trou¬ 
ble of inventing . 

We now come to the story relating to “ The Receiving of the 
Ten Commandments ” by Moses from the Lord, on the top of a 
mountain, ’mid thunders and lightnings. 

All that is likely to be historical in this account, is that Moses 
assembled, not, indeed, the whole of the people, but the heads of 
the tribes, and gave them the code which he had prepared. 1 2 The 
marvellous portion of the story was evidently copied from that 
related of the law-giver Zoroaster, by the Persians , and the idea 
that there were two tables of stone with the Law written thereon 
was evidently taken from the story of Bacchus, the Law-giver, who 
had his laws written on two tables of stone? 

The next legend treated was that of “ Samson and his Exploits .” 

Those who, like the learned of the last century , maintain that 
the Pagans copied from the Hebrews, may say that Samson was 
the model of all their similar stories, but now that our ideas con¬ 
cerning antiquity are enlarged, and when we know that Hercules is 
well known to have been the God Sol, whose allegorical history 
was spread among many nations long before the Hebrews were 
ever heard of, we are authorized to believe and to say that some 
Jewish mythologist —for what else are their so-called historians— 
composed the anecdote of Samson, by partly disfiguring the 
popular traditions of the Greeks, Pheiiicians and Chaldeans, and 
claiming that hero for his own nation. 3 

The Babylonian story of Izdubar, the lion-killer, who wandered 


1 The Religion of Israel, p. 49. 

2 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 122. Higgins : 
vol. ii. p. 19. 

3 In claiming the “ mighty man ” and “ lion- 
killer ” as one of their own race, the Jews were 
simply doing what other nations had done be¬ 


fore them. The Greeks claimed Hercules as 
their countryman ; stated where he was born, 
and showed his tomb. The Egyptians affirmed 
that he was born in their country (see Taci¬ 
tus, Annals, b. ii. ch. lix.), and so did many 
other nations. 





CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


105 


to the regions of the blessed (the Grecian Elysium), who crossed a 
great waste of land (the desert of Lybia , according to the Grecian 
myth os), and arrived at a region where splendid trees were laden 
with jewels (the Grecian Garden of the Ilesperides), is probably the 
foundation for tlie Hercules and other corresponding myths. This 
conclusion is drawn from the fact that, although the story of 
Hercules was known in the island of Thasus, by the Phenician 
colony settled there, five centuries before he was known in Greece ,* 
yet its antiquiti) among the Babylonians antedates that. 

’ The age of the legends of Izdubar among the Babylonians 
cannot be placed with certainty, yet, the cuneiform inscriptions 
relating to this hero, which have been found, may be placed at 
about 2000 years b. c. 1 2 “ As these stories were traditions ,” says 
Mr. Smith, the discoverer of the cylinders, “before they were 
committed to writing, their antiquity as tradition is probably 
much greater than that.” 3 

With these legends before them, the Jewish priests in Babylon 
had no difficulty in arranging the story of Samson, and adding it 
to their already fabulous history. 

As the Itev. Dr. Isaac M. Wise remarks, in speaking of the 
ancient Hebrews : “ They adopted forms, terms, ideas and myths 
of all nations with whom they came in contact, and, like the 
Greeks, in their way, cast them all in a peculiar Jewish religious 
mold.” 

We have seen, in the chapter which treats of this legend, that 
it is recorded in the book of Judges. This book was not written 
till after the first set of Israelites had been carried into captivity, 
and perhaps still later? 

After this we have “ Jonah swallowed by a Big Fishfi which 
is the last legend treated. 

We saw that it was a solar myth , known to many nations of 
antiquity. The writer of the book—whoever he may have been— 
lived in the fifth century before Christ —after the Jews had 
become acquainted and had mixed with other nations. The writer 
of this wholly fictitious story, taking the prophet Jonah—who was 
evidently an historical personage—for his hero, was perhaps 
intending to show the loving-kindness of Jehovah. 6 


1 See Knight: Ancient Art-and Mythology, 
pp. 92, 93. 

2 Chaldean Account of Genesis, pp. 1G8 and 
174; and Assyrian Discoveries, p. 167. 

3 Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 168. 


4 See The Religion of Israel, p. 12; and Chad¬ 
wick’s Bible of To-Day, p. 55. 

5 See The Religion of Israel, p. 41, and 
Chadwick’s Bible of To-Day, p. 24. 




10G 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


We liave now examined all the principal Old Testament 
legends, and, after what has been seen, we think that no 'impartial 
person can still consider them historical facts. That so great a 
number of educated persons still do so seems astonishing, in our 
way of thinking. They have repudiated Greek and Homan 
mythology with disdain; why then admit with respect the mythol¬ 
ogy of the Jews ? Ought‘the miracles of Jehovah to impress us 
more than those of Jupiter? We think not; they should all be 
looked upon as relics of the past. 

That Christian writers are beginning to be aroused to the idea 
that another tack should be taken, differing from the old, is very 
evident. This is clearly seen by the words of Prof. Richard A. 
Armstrong, the translator of Dr. Knappert’s “ Religion of Israel ” 
into English. In the Preface of this work, he says: 

“ It appears to me to be profoundly important that the youthful English 
mind should be faithfully and accurately informed of the results of modern 
research into the early development of the Israelitisli religion. Deplorable and 
irreparable mischief will be done to the generation now passing into manhood 
and womanhood, if their educators leave them ignorant or loosely informed on 
these topics; for they will then be rudely awakened by the enemies of Christi¬ 
anity from a blind and unreasoning faith in the supernatural inspiration of the 
Scriptures; and being suddenly and bluntly made aware that Abraham, Moses, 
David, and the rest did not say, do, or write what has been ascribed to them, 
they will fling away all care for the venerable religion of Israel and all hope 
that it can nourish their own religious life. IIow much happier will those of 
our children and }'oung people be who learn what is now known of the actual 
origin of the Pentateuch and the Writings, from the same lips which have 
taught them that the Prophets indeed prepared the way for Jesus, and that God 
is indeed our Heavenly Father. For these will, without difficulty, perceive that 
God’s love is none the feebler and that the Bible is no less precious, because 
Moses knew nothiug of the Levitical legislation, or because it was not the 
warrior monarch on his semi-barbaric throne, but some far later son of Israel, 
who breathed forth the immortal hymn of faith, ‘ The Lord is my Shepherd; I 
shall not want.’ ” 

For the benefit of those who may think that the evidence of 
plagiarism on the part of the Hebrew writers has not been suf¬ 
ficiently substantiated, we will quote a few words from Prof. Max 
Mi'dler, who is one of the best English authorities on this subject 
that can be produced. In speaking of this he says: 

“ The opinion that the Pagan religions were mere corruptions of the religion 
of the Old Testament, once supported by men of high authority and great learn¬ 
ing, is now as completely surrendered as the attempts of explaining Greek and 
Latin as the corruptions of Hebrew 

Again he says: 


1 The Science of Religion, p. 40. 




CONCLUSION OF PAltT FIRST. 


107 


4 * As soon as the ancient language and religion of India became known in 
Europe it was asserted that Sanskrit, like all other languages, was to be derived 
from Hebrew, and the ancient religion of the Brahmans from the Old Testa¬ 
ment. There was at that time an enthusiasm among Oriental scholars, particu¬ 
larly at Calcutta, and an interest for Oriental antiquities in the public at large, 
of which we, in these days of apathy for Eastern literature, can hardly form an 
adequate idea. Everybody wished to be first in the field, and to bring to light some 
of the treasures "which were supposed to be hidden in the sacred literature of 
the Brahmans. . . . No doubt the temptation was great. No one could look 

down for a moment into the rich mine of religious and mythological lore that 
was suddenly opened before the eyes of scholars and theologians, without being 
struck by a host of similarities, not only in the languages, but also in the ancient 
traditions of the Hindoos, the Greeks, and the Romans; and if at that time the 
Greeks and Romans were still supposed to have borrowed their language and 
their religion from Jewish quarters, the same conclusion could hardly be avoided 
with rega rd to the language and the religion of the Brahmans of India. . . . 

“ The student of Pagan religion as well as Christian missionaries were bent on 
discovering more striking and more startling coincidences, in order to use them 
in confirmation of their favorite theory that some rays of a primeval revelation, or 
some reflection of the Jewish religion, had reached the uttermost ends of the world .” 1 

The result of all this is summed up by Prof. Muller as follows : 

“ It was the fate of all (these) pioneers, not 01dy to be left behind in the assault 
which they had planned, but to find that many of their approaches were made in 
a false direction, and had to be abandoned .” 2 

Before closing this chapter, we shall say a few words on the 
religion of Israel. It is supposed by many—in fact, we have heard 
it asserted by those who should know better—that the Israelites 
were always monotheists , that they worshiped One God only—- 
Jehovah . 3 This is altogether erroneous; they were not different 
from their neighbors—the Heathen, so-called—in regard to their 
religion. 

In the first place, we know that they revered and worshiped 
a Bull, called Aj)is, A just as the ancient Egyptians did. They 


1 They even claimed that one of the “ lost 
tribes of Israel ” had found their way to Amer¬ 
ica, and had taught the natives Hebrew. 

2 The Science of Religion, pp. 285, 
292. 

a “ It is an assumption of the popular theol¬ 
ogy, and an almost universal belief in the pop¬ 
ular mind, that the Jewish nation was selected 
by the Almighty to preserve and carry down to 
later ages a knowledge of the One and true 
God—that the Patriarchs possessed this knowl¬ 
edge—that Moses delivered and enforced this 
doctrine as the fundamental tenet of the na¬ 
tional creed; and that it was, in fact, the re¬ 
ceived and distinctive dogma of the Hebrew 
people. This alleged possession of the true 


faith by one only people, while all surrounding 
tribes were lost in Polytheism, or something 
worse, has been adduced by divines in general 
as a proof of the truth of the sacred history, 
and of the divine origin of the Mosaic dispen¬ 
sation.” (Greg : The Creed of Christendom, 
p. 145.) 

Even such authorities as Paley and Milman 
have written in this strain. (See quotations 
from Palcy’s “ Evidences of Christianity," and 
Dean Milman’s “ History of the Jews," made 
by Mr. Greg in his “ Creed of Christendom," 
p. 145.) 

4 See the Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 321, 
vol. ii. p. 102; and Dunlap : Mysteries of Adoni, 
p. 108. 



108 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


worshiped the sun? the moon? the stars and all the host of 
heaven. 1 2 3 

They worshiped fire , and kept it burning on an altar, just as 
the Persians and other nations. 4 They worshiped stones? revered 
an oak tree? and “ bowed down ” to images.’ 1 6 7 They worshiped 
a “ Queen of Heaven ” called the goddess Astarte or Mylitta , and 
“burned incense” to her. 8 9 They worshiped Baal? Moloch, 10 * * * and 
Chemosh? 1 and offered up human sacrifices to them?" after which 
in some instances, they ate the victimA 

It was during the Captivity that idolatry ceased among the 
Israelites. 14 * The Babylonian Captivity is clearly referred to in the 
book of Deuteronomy, as the close of Israel’s idolatry. 16 

There is reason to believe that the real genius of the people was 
first called into full exercise, and put on its career of development 
at this time; that Babylon was a forcing nursery , not a prison cell; 
creating instead of stifling a nation. The astonishing outburst of 
intellectual and moral energy that accompanied the return from the 
Babylonish Captivity, attests the spiritual activity of that “ mysteri¬ 
ous and momentous” time. As Prof. Goldzhier says: “ The intel¬ 
lect of Babylon and Assyria exerted a more than passing influence 
on that of the Hebrews , not merely touching it, but entering deep 
into it , and leaving its own impression upon it.” 16 


1 See the Bible fox 1 Learners, vol. i. pp. 317, 
418 ; vol. li. p. 301. Dunlap’s Son of the Man, 
p. 3, and his Spirit Hist., pp. G8 and 182. In¬ 
man : Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. pp. 7'82, 783; and 
Goldzhier : Hebrew Mythol., pp. 227, 240, 242. 

2 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 317. 
Dunlap's Son of (lie Man, p. 3 ; and Spirit Hist., 
p. 68. Also, Goldzhier: Hebrew Mythol., p.159. 

3 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 26, and 
317 ; vol. ii. p. 301 and 328. Dunlap's Son of 
the Man, p. 3. Dunlap’s Spirit Hist., 68; 
Mysteries of Adoni pp. xvii. and 108 ; and The 
Religion of Israel, p. 38. 

4 Bunsen : Keys of St. Peter, pp. 101, 102. 

6 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. pp. 175-178, 
317, 322, 448. 

6 Ibid. 115. 

7 Ibid. i. 23, 321 ; ii. 102, 103, 109, 264, 274. 
Dunlap’s Spirit Hist., p. 108. Inman : Ancient 
Faiths, vol. i. p. 438 ; vol. ii. p. 30. 

8 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. pp. 88, 318 ; 
vol. ii. pp. 102, 113, 300. Dunlap : Son of the 
Man, p. 3; and Mysteries of Adoni, p. xvii. 
Muller : The Science of Religion, p. 261. 

9 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. pp. 21-25, 

105, 391 ; vol. ii. pp. 102, 136-138. Dunlap : 

Son of the Man, p. 3. Mysteries of Adoni, pp. 

108, 177. Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. pp. 

782, 783. Bunsen : The Keys of St. Peter, p. 

91. Miiller : The Science of Religion, p. 181. 

Bal , Bel, or Belus was an idol of the Chal¬ 


deans and Phenicians or Canaanites. The 
word Bal, in the Punic language, signifies Lord 
or Master. The name Bal is often joined with 
some other, as itatf-berith, i?a/-peor, Bed- 
zephon, &c. “ The Israelites made him their 

god, and erected altars to him on which they 
offered human sacrifices,” and ‘‘what is still 
more unnatural, they ate of the victims they 
offered.” (Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. pp. 113. 114 .) 

10 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. pp. 17, 26 ; 
vol. ii. pp. 102, 299, 300. Bunsen : Keys of St. 
Peter, p. 110. Muller : The Science of Relig¬ 
ion, p. 285. Moloch was a god of the Ammon¬ 
ites, also worshiped among the Israelites. Sol¬ 
omon built a temple to him, on the Mount of 
Olives, and human sacrifices were offered to 
him. (Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. pp. 84, 85.) 

11 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 153; vol. 
ii. pp. 71, 83, 125. Smith’s Bible Dictionary, 
art. “Chemosh.” 

12 The Bible for Learners, vol. i. pp. 26, 147, 
148, 319, 320 ; vol. ii. pp. 16, 17, 299, 300. Dun¬ 
lap’s Spirit Hist., pp. 108,222. Inman: An 
cient Faiths, vol. ii. pp. 100, 101. Miiller: 
Science of Religion, p. 261. Bell's Pantheon, 
vol. i. 113, 114; vol. ii. 84, 85. 

13 Sec note 9 above. 

14 See Bunsen : Keys of St. Peter, 291. 

is Ibid, p. 27. 

16 Goldzhier : Hebrew Mythology, p. 319. 



CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST. 


109 


This impression we have already partly seen in the legends which 
they borrowed, and it may also be seen in the religious ideas which 
they imbibed. 

The Assyrian colonies which came and occupied the land of the 
tribes of Israel filled the kingdom of Samaria with the dogma of 
the Magi , which very soon penetrated into the kingdom of Judah. 
Afterward, Jerusalem being subjugated, the defenseless country was 
entered by persons of different nationalities, who introduced their 
opinions, and in this way, the religion of Israel was doubly mutilated. 
Besides, the priests and great men, who were transported to Baby¬ 
lon, were educated in the sciences of the Chaldeans, and imbibed, 
during a residence of fifty years, nearly the whole of their theology. 
It was not until this time that the dogmas of the hostile genius 
(Satan), the angels Michael, Uriel, Yar, Yisan, &c., the rebel angels, 
the battle in heaven, the immortality of the soul, and the resurrec¬ 
tion, were introduced and naturalized among the Jews. 1 


1 The Talmud of Jerusalem expressly states Angel Messiah, p. 285.) “ The Jews adopted, 

that the names of the angels and the months, during the Captivity, the idea of angels, 

such as Gabriel, Michael, Yar, Nisan, &c., Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel,” &c. (Knight: 

came from Babylon with the Jews. (Goldzhier, Ancient Art and Mythology, p. 54.) Sec, for 

p. 319.) “ There is no trace of the doctrine of further information on this subject, Dr. Knap- 

Angels in the Hebrew Scriptures composed or pert’s “ Religion of Israel,” or Prof. Kuenen’s 

written before the exile.” (Bunsen: The ‘‘Religion of Israel.” 





PART II. 


THE HEW TESTAMENT. 


CHAPTER XII. 

THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 

According to the dogma of the deity of Jesus, he who is said to 
have lived on earth some eighteen centuries ago, as Jesus of Naza¬ 
reth, is second of the three persons in the Trinity, the Son, God as 
absolutely as the Father and the Holy Spirit, except as eternally 
deriving his existence from the Father. What, however, especially 
characterizes the Son, and distinguishes him from the two other 
persons united with him in the unity of the Deity, is this, that the 
Son, at a given moment of time, became incarnate, and that, with¬ 
out losing anything of his divine nature, he thus became possessed 
of a complete human nature; so that he is at the same time, with¬ 
out injury to the unity of his person, u truly man and truly GodP 
The story of the miraculous birth of Jesus is told by the 
Matthew narrator as follows 

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary 
w T as espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of 
. the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing 
to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But 
while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto 
him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee 
Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And 
she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save 
his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which 
was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying: Behold, a virgin shall be 
with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, 
-which being interpreted is, God with us .” 1 2 


1 Matthew, i. 18-25. 

2 The Luke narrator tells the story in a dif¬ 
ferent manner. His account is more like that 


recorded in the Koran, which says that Gabriel 
appeared unto Mary in the shape of a perfect 
man, that Mary, upon seeing him, and seeming 

[HI] 




112 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


t 


A Deliverer was hoped for, expected, prophesied, in the time of 
Jewish misery 1 (and Cyrus was perhaps the first referred to); but 
as no one appeared who did what the Messiah, according to proph¬ 
ecy, should do, they went on degrading each successive conqueroi 
and hero from the Messianic dignity, and are still expecting the 
true Deliverer. Hebrew and Christian divines both start from the 
same assumed unproven premises, viz.: that a Messiah, having been 
foretold, must appear; but there they diverge, and the Jews show 
themselves to be the sounder logicians of the two : the Christians 
assuming that Jesus was the Messiah intended (though not the one 
expected), wrest the obvious meaning of the prophecies to show 
that they were fufilled in him ; while the Jews, assuming the ob 
vious meaning of the prophecies to be their real meaning, argue 
that they were not fulfilled in Christ Jesus, and therefore that the 
Messiah is yet to come. 

We shall now see, in the words of Bishop Ilawes: “that God 
should, in some extraordinary manner, visit and dwell with man, is 
an idea which, as we read the writings of the ancient Heathens, 
meets us in a thousand different forms.” 

Immaculate conceptions and celestial descents were so currently 
received among the ancients, that whoever had greatly distinguished 
himself in the affairs of men was thought to be of supernatural 
lineage. Gods descended from heaven and were made incarnate in 
men, and men ascended from earth, and took their seat among the 
gods, so that these incarnations and apotheosises were fast filling 
Olympus with divinities. 

In our inquiries on this subject we shall turn first to Asia, 
where, as the learned Thomas Maurice remarks in his Indian An¬ 
tiquities, “in every age, and in almost every region of the Asiatic 
world, there seems uniformly to have flourished an immemorial 
tradition that one god had, from all eternity, begotten another 
god I 

In India, there have been several Avatars, or incarnations of 
Vishnu, 8 the most important of which is Ileri Crishna , 4 or Grishna 
the Saviour. 


to understand his intentions, said : “If thou 
fearest God, thou wilt not approach me.” 
Gabriel answering said : “ Verily, I am the 
messenger of the Lord, and am sent to give 
thee a holy son.” (Koran, ch. xix.) 

1 Instead, however, of the benevolent Jesus, 
the “Prince of Peace ”—as Christian writers 
make him out to be—the Jews were expecting 
a daring and irresistible warrior and conqueror, 
who, armed with greater power than Caesar, 
was to come upon earth to rend the fetters in 


which their hapless nation had so long groaned, 
to avenge them upon their haughty oppressors, 
and to re-establish the kingdom of Judah. 

2 Vol. v. p. 294. 

3 Moor, in his “ Pantheon ,” tells us that a 
learned Pandit once observed to him that the 
English were a new people, and had only the 
record of one Avatara, but the Hindoos were 
an ancient people, and had accounts of a great 
many. 

4 This name has been spelled in many dif- 


V 




THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 


113 


Ill the Sanskrit Dictionary, compiled more than two thousand 
years ago, is to be found the whole story of this incarnate deity, 
born of a virgin. * 1 

Sir William Jones, the first President of the Royal Asiatic 
Society, instituted in Bengal, says of him: 

“Crishna continues to this hour the darling god of the Indian woman. The 
sect of Hindoos who adore him with enthusiastic, and almost exclusive devotion, 
have broached a doctrine, which they maintain with eagerness, and which seems 
general in these provinces, that he was distinct from all the Avatars (incarna¬ 
tions) who had only an ansa, ora portion, of his ( Vishnu's) divinity, while 
Crishna was the person of Vishnu himself inhuman form .'" 2 

The Rev. D. O. Allen, Missionary of the American Board, for 
twenty-live years in India, speaking of Crishna, says : 

“He was greater than, and distinct from, all the Avatars which had only a 
portion of the divinity in them, while he was the very person of Vishnu himself 
in human form .” 3 * 

Thomas Maurice, in speaking of Mathura , says: 

“It is particularly celebrated for having been the birth-place of Crishna , who 
is esteemed in India, not so much an incarnation of the divine Vishnu, as the 
deity himself in human form.”* 

Again, in his “History of Uindostanf he says: 

“It appears to me that the Hindoos, idolizing some eminent character of 
antiquity, distinguished, in the early annals of their nation, by heroic fortitude 
and exalted piety, have applied to that character those ancient traditional ac¬ 
counts of an incarnate God, or, as they not improperly term it, an Avatar, 
which had been delivered down to them from their ancestors, the virtuous 
Noachidce, to descend amidst the darkness and ignorance of succeeding ages, 
at once to reform and instruct mankind. We have the more solid reason to 
affirm this of the Avatar of Oishna, because it is allowed to be the most illustri¬ 
ous of them all; since we have learned, that, in the seven preceding Avatars, the 
deity brought only an ansa, or portion of his divinity; but, in the eighth, he 
descended in all the plentitude of the Godhead, and was Vishnu himself in a 
human form .”' 0 

Crishna was born of a chaste virgin, 6 called Devhai , who, on 
account of her purity, was selected to become the “ mother of 
God ” 

According to the “bhagavat poorattn,” Vishnu said : 

“ I will become incarnate at Mathura in the house of Yadu, and will issue 


ferent ways, such as Krishna, Khrishna, 
Krishnu, G'hrisna, Cristna, Christna, &c. We 
have followed Sir Wra. Jones’s way of spelling 
it, and shall do so throughout. 

1 See Asiatic Researches, vol. i. pp. 259-275. 

2 Ibid . p. 2L 0. We may say that, “ In him 

dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” 

(Colossians, ii. 9.) 

8 


8 Allen’s India, p. 397. 

* Indian Antiquities, vol. iii. p. 45. 

6 Hist. Ilindostan, vol. ii. p. 270. 

6 Like Mary, the mother of Jesus, Devaki is 
called the “ Virgin Mother," although she, as 
well as Mary, is said to have had other chil¬ 
dren. 




114 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


forth to mortal birth from the womb of Devaki. . . . It is time I should 

display my power, and relieve the oppressed earth from its load .’’ 1 

Then a chorus of angels exclaimed : 

“In the delivery of this favored woman, all nature shall have cause to 
exult .” 2 

In the sacred book of the Hindoos, called “ Vishnu Pur ana” 
we read as follows : 

“Eulogized by the gods, Devaki bore in her womb the lotus-eyed deity, the 
protector of the world. . . . 

“ No person could bear to gaze upon Devaki, from the light that invested her, 
and those who contemplated her radiance felt their minds disturbed. The gods, 
invisible to mortals, celebrated her praises continually from the time that 
Vishnu was contained in her person .” 3 

Again we read: 

“ The divine Vishnu himself, the root of the vast universal tree, inscrutable by 
the understandings of all gods, demons, sages, and men, past, present, or to 
come, adored by Brahma and all the deities, he w’ho is without beginning, 
middle, or end, being moved to relieve the earth of her load, descended into the 
womb of Devaki, and was born as her son, Vasudeva,” i. e., Crishna . 4 * 

Again: 

“Crishna is the very Supreme Brahma, though it be a mystery 5 how the 
Supreme should assume the form of a man .” 6 

The Hindoo belief in a divine incarnation has at least, above 
many others, its logical side of conceiving that God manifests 
himself on earth whenever the weakness or the errors of humanity 
render his presence necessary. We find this idea expressed in 
one of their sacred books called the “ Bhdgavat Geeta ,” wherein 
it says: 

“ I (the Supreme One said), I am made evident by my own power, and as often 
as there is a decline of virtue, and an insurrection of vice aud injustice in the 
world, I make myself evident, and thus I appear from age to age, for the preser¬ 
vation of the just, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of 
virtue .” 7 

Crishna is recorded in the u Bhdgavat Geeta ” as saying to his 
beloved disciple Arjoun: 


1 nist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 327. 

2 Ibid. p. 329. 

8 Vishnu Purana, p. 502. 

4 Ibid. p. 440. 

6 “ Now to him that is of power to establish 

you according to my gospel, and the preaching 
of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of 

the mystery , which was kept secret since the 


world began.” (Komans, xvi. 15.) “ And with¬ 
out controversy, great is the mystery of god¬ 
liness : God was manifest in the flesh, justi¬ 
fied in the spirit, seen of angels, preached 
unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, 
received up into glory.” (1 Timothy, iii. 1C.) 

6 Vishnu Purana, p. 492, note 3. 

7 Quoted in Conway's Sacr&l Anthology 
p. 71. 





THE MIRACULOUS BIRTII OF CHRIST JESUS. 


115 


“ He, O Arjoun, who, from conviction, acknowledged my divine birth (upon 
quitting his mortal form), entereth into me .” 1 

Again, lie says: 

“The foolish, being unacquainted with my supreme and divine nature, as 
Lord of all things, despise me in this human form, trusting to the evil, diabolic, 
and deceitful principle within them. They are of vain hope, of vain endeavors,' 
of vain wisdom, and void of reason; whilst men of great minds, trusting to their 
divine natures, discover that I am before all things and incorruptible, and serve me 
with their hearts undiverted by other gods .” 2 

The next in importance among the God-legotten and Virgin- 
lorn Saviours of India, is Buddha , 3 who was born of the Virgin 
Maya or Mary. He in mercy left Paradise, arid came down to 
earth because he was filled with compassion for the sins and 
miseries of mankind. lie sought to lead them into better paths, 
and took their sufferings upon himself, that he might expiate their 
crimes, and mitigate the punishment they must otherwise inevita¬ 
bly undergo. 4 

According to the Fo-pen-liing , 5 when Buddha was about to 
descend from heaven, to be born into the world, the angels in 
heaven, calling to the inhabitants of the earth, said: 

“Ye mortals! adorn your earth! for Bodbisatwa, the great Mahasatwa, not 
long hence shall descend from Tusita to be born amongst you! make ready and 
prepare! Buddha U about to descend and be born !” 6 

The womb that bears a Buddha is like a casket in which a 
relic is placed; no other being can be conceived in the same recep¬ 
tacle ; the usual secretions are not formed ; and from the time of 
conception, Maha-maya was free from passion, and lived in the 
strictest continence. 7 

The resemblance between this legend and the doctrine of the 
perpetual virginity of Mary the mother of Jesus, cannot but be re¬ 
marked. The opinion that she had ever borne other children was 
called heresy by Epiphanius and Jerome, long before she had been 
exalted to the station of supremacy she now occupies. 8 


1 Bhagavat Geeta, Lecture iv. p. 52. 

2 Ibid., Lecture iv. p. 79. 

3 It is said that there have been several 

Buddhas (see ch. xxix). We speak of Gautama. 

Buddha is variously pronounced and express¬ 

ed Boudh, Bod, Bot, But, Bud, Btidd, Buddou, 

Bouttu, Bota, Budso, Pot, Pout, Pota, Poti, 

and Pouti. The Siamese make the final t 
or d quiescent, and sound the word Po; 
whence the Chinese still further vary it to Pho 
or Fo. Buddha— which means awakened or 
enlightened (see Muller : Sci. of Relig., p. 308) 
—is the proper way in which to spell the 


name. We have adopted this throughout this 
work, regardless of the manner in which the 
writer from which we quote spells it. 

4 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 86. 

6 Fo-pen-hing is the life of Gautama Budd¬ 
ha, translated from the Chinese Sanskrit by 
Prof. Samuel Beal. 

6 Beal : Hist. Buddha, p. 25. 

7 Hardy : Manual of Buddhism, p. 141. 

8 A Christian sect called Collyridians be¬ 
lieved that Mary was born of a virgin, as 
Christ is related to have been born of her 
(See note to the “Gospel of the Birth of 



116 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


M. l’Abbe Hue, a French Missionary, in speaking of Buddha, 
says: 

“ In the eyes of the Buddhists, this personage is sometimes a man and some¬ 
times a god, or rather both one and the other, a divine incarnation, a man-god ; 
who came into the world to enlighten men, to redeem them, and to indicate to 
them the way of safety. 

“This idea of redemption by a divine incarnation is so general and popular 
among the Buddhists, that during our travels in Upper Asia, we everywhere found 
it expressed in a neat formula. If we addressed to a Mongol or a Thibetan the 
question, ‘“Who is Buddha?’ he would immediately reply: ‘ The Saviour of 
Men .’ 

He further says: 

“ The miraculous birth of Buddha, his life and instructions, contain a great 
number of the moral and dogmatic truths professed in Christianity.”' 2 

This Angel-Messiah was regarded as the divinely chosen and 
incarnate messenger, the vicar of God. He is addressed as “ God 
of Gods,” “ Father of the World,” u Almighty and All-knowing 
Ruler,” and “Redeemer of All.” 3 He is called also “The Holy 
One,” “ The Author of Happiness,” “ The Lord,” “ The Possessor of 
All,” “lie who is Omnipotent and Everlastingly to be Contem¬ 
plated,” “ The Supreme Being, the Eternal One,” “ The Divinity 
worthy to be Adored by the most praiseworthy of Mankind.” 4 He 
is addressed by Amora—one of his followers—thus: 

“ Reverence be unto thee in the form of Buddha! Reverence be unto thee, 
the Lord of the Earth! Reverence be unto thee, an incarnation of the Deity! Of the 
Eternal One! Reverence be unto thee, O God, in the form of the God of Mercy; 
the dispeller of pain and trouble, the Lord of all things, the deity, the guardian 
of the universe, the emblem of mercy.” 6 

The incarnation of Gautama Buddha is recorded to have been 
brought about by the descent of the divine power called The 
“ Iloly Ghost ” upon the Virgin Mayaf This Holy Ghost, or 


Mary ” [Apocryphal]; also King : The Gnostics 
and their Remains, p. 91, and Gibbon’s Hist, 
of Rome, vol. v. p. 108, note). This idea has 
been recently adopted by the Roman Catholic 
Church. They now claim that Mary was born 
as immaculate as her son. (See Inman’s 
Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 75, and The Lily of 
Israel, pp. 6-15 ; also fig. 17, ch. xxxii.) 

“ The gradual deification of Mary, though 
slower in its progress, follows, in the Romish 
Church, a course analogous to that which the 
Church of the first centuries followed, in elab¬ 
orating the deity of Jesus. With almost all 
the Catholic writers of our day, Mary is the 
universal mediatrix; all power has been given 


to her in heaven and upon earth. Indeed, 
more than one serious attempt has been al¬ 
ready made in the Ultramontane camp to 
unite Mary in some way to the Trinity; and if 
Mariolatry lasts much longer, this will prob¬ 
ably be accomplished in the end.” (Albert Rc- 
ville.) 

1 IIuc’8 Travels, vol. i. pp. 326, 327. 

a Ibid. p. 327. 

3 Oriental Religions, p. 604. 

4 See Bunsen's Angel-Messiah. 

5 Asiatic Researches, vol. ii. p. 309, and 
King's Gnostics, p. 1G7. 

6 See Bunsen's Angel-Meesiali, pp. 10, 25 
and 44. 



TIIE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 


117 


Spirit, descended in the form of a white elephant. The Tikas 
explain this as indicating power and wisdom. 1 

The incarnation of the angel destined to become Buddha took 
place in a spiritual manner. The Elephant is the symbol of power 
and wisdom; and Buddha was considered the organ of divine 
power and wisdom, as he is called in the Tikas. For these reasons 
Buddha is described by Buddhistic legends as having descended 
from heaven in the form of an Elephant to the place where the 
Virgin Maya was. But according to Chinese Buddhistic writings, 
it was the Holy Ghost, or Shing-Shin , who descended on the 
Virgin Maya. 2 

The Fo-pen-hing says: 

“ If a mother, in her dream, behold 
A white elephant enter her right side, 

That mother, when she bears a son, 

Shall bear one chief of all the world (Buddha); 

Able to profit all flesh; 

Equally poised between preference and dislike; 

Able to save and deliver the world and men 
From the deep sea of misery and grief.” 3 

In Prof. Fergusson’s “ Tree and Serpent Worship ” may be 
seen (Plate xxxiii.) a representation of Maya, the mother of 
Buddha, asleep, and dreaming that a white elephant appeared to 
her, and entered her womb. 

This dream being interpreted by the Brahmans learned in the 
Fig- Veda , was considered as announcing the incarnation of him 
who was to be in future the deliverer of mankind from pain and 
sorrow. It is, in fact, t-lie form which the Annunciation took in 
Buddhist legends. 4 

“-Awaked, 

Bliss beyond mortal mother’s filled her breast, 

And over half the earth a lovely light 
Forewent the morn. The strong hills shook; the waves 
Sank lulled; all flowers that blow by day came forth 
As ’twere high noon; down to the farthest hells 
Passed the Queen’s joy, as when warm sunshine thrills 
Wood-glooms to gold, and into all the deeps 
A tender whisper pierced. ‘ Oh ye,’ it said, 

‘ The dead that are to live, the live who die. 

Uprise, and hear, and hope! Buddha is come !’ 

Whereat in Limbos numberless much peace 

Spread, and the world's heart throbbed, and a wind blew 


1 See Beal.: Hist. Buddha, p. 36, note. 
Ganesa, the Indian God of Wisdom, is either 
represented as an elephant, or a man with 
an elephant’s head. (See Moore’s Hindu 


Pantheon, and vol. i. of Asiatic Researches.) 

2 Bunsen : The Angel-Messiali, p. 33. 

3 Beal: Hist. Buddha, pp. 38, 39. 

* Tree and Serpent Worship, p. 131. 



118 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


With unknown freshness over land and seas. 

And when the morning dawned, and this was told. 

The grey dream-readers said, ‘ The dream is good! 

The Crab is in conjunction with the Sun; 

The Queen shall bear a boy, a holy child 
Of wondrous wisdom, profiting all flesh, 

Who shall deliver men from ignorance, 

Or rule the world, if he will deign to rule.’ 

In this wise was the holy Buddha born.” 

In Fig. 4, Plate xci., the same subject is also illustrated. Prof. 
Fergusson, referring to it, says: 

“Fig. 4 is another edition of a legend more frequently repeated than almost 
any other in Buddhist Scriptures. It was, with their artists, as great a favorite 
as the Annunciation and Nativity were with Christian painters.” 1 

When Buddha avatar descended from the regions of the souls, 
and entered the body of the Virgin Maya, her womb suddenly 
assumed the appearance of clear, transparent crystal, in which 
Buddha appeared, beautiful as a flower, kneeling and reclining on 
his hands. 2 

Buddha’s representative on earth is the Dali Lama , or Grand 
Lama, the High Priest of the Tartars. lie is regarded as the 
vicegerent of God, with power to dispense divine blessings on 
whomsoever he will, and is considered among the Buddhists to be 
a sort of divine being. lie is the Pope of Buddhism. 3 

The /Siamese had a Virgin-born God and Saviour whom they 
called Codom. His mother, a beautiful young virgin, being in¬ 
spired from heaven, quitted the society of men and wandered into 
the most unfrequented parts of a great forest, there to await the 
coming of a god which had long been announced to mankind. 
While she was one day prostrate in prayer, she was impregnated by 
the sunbeams. She thereupon retired to the borders of a lake, 
between Siam and Cambodia, where she was delivered of heav¬ 
enly boy” which she placed within the folds of a lotus , that opened 
to receive him. When the boy grew up, he became a prodigy 
of wisdom, performed miracles, &c. 4 

The first Europeans who visited Cape Comorin, the most 


1 Tree and Serpent Worship, p. 212.' 

3 King : The Gnostics and their Remains, 
p. 1G8, and Hist. Ilindostan, vol. ii. p. 483. 
R. Spence Hardy says : “ The body of the 
Queen was transparent, and the child could 
be distinctly seen, like a priest seated upon a 
throne in the act of saying bana, or like a 
golden image enclosed in a vase of crystal; 
so that it could be known how much he grew 
every succeeding day.” (Hardy : Manual of 


Buddhism, p. 144.) The same thing was said 
of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Early art rep¬ 
resented the infant distinctly visible in her 
womb. (See Inman's Ancient Pagan and 
Modern Christian Symbolism, and chap. xxix. 
this work.) 

3 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 34 , and 
Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 223. 

4 Scpiire : Serpent Symbol, p. 185. See also 
Anacalypsis, vol. i. pp. 1G2 and 308. 




TIIE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 


119 


southerly extremity of the peninsula of Hindostan, were surprised 
to find the inhabitants worshiping a Lord and Saviour whom they 
called Salivahana. They related that his father’s name was 
Taishaca, but that he was a divine child, born of a Virgin, in fact, 
an incarnation of the Supreme Vishnu J 

The belief in a virgin-born god-man is found in the religions of 
China, both ancient and modern. Sir John Francis Davis says, in 
his “ History of China 

“ China has her mythology in common with all other nations, and under this 
head we must range the persons styled Fo-hi, Shin-noon, Hoang-iy, and their im¬ 
mediate successors, who, like the demigods and heroes of Grecian fable, rescued 
mankind by their ability or enterprise from the most primitive barbarism, and 
have since been invested with supernatural attributes. The most extravagant prod¬ 
igies are related of these persons, and the most incongruous qualities attributed 
to them.” 2 

Fuh-he, or Ile-hwang (born 3468 b. c.), with whom, according 
to some Chinese writers, begins the historical era and the founda¬ 
tion of the empire, was of supernatural origin . His birth, like 
that of many of the sages and heroes of China, was miraculous. 
At the time his mother conceived him in her womb, a rainbow was 
seen to surround her. 3 

Dean Milman says, in his “ History of Christianity 

“ Fo-hi, of China—according to a tradition— was born of a virgin, and the first 
Jesuit missionaries who went to China were appalled at finding, in the mythology 
of that country, a counterpart of the story of the Virgin of Judea.” 

The Chinese traditions concerning the birth of Fo-hi are, some 
of them, highly poetical. That which has received the widest ac¬ 
ceptance is as follows: 

“ Three nymphs came down from heaven to wash themselves in a river; but 
scarce had they got there before the herb lotus appeared on one of their gar¬ 
ments, with its coral fruit upon it. They could not imagine whence it proceeded, 
and one was tempted to taste it, whereby she became pregnant and was delivered 
of a boy, who afterwards became a great man, a founder of religion, a conqueror, 
and legislator.” 4 

The sect of Xaca, which is evidently a corruption of Buddhism, 
claim that their master was also of supernatural origin. Alvarez 
Semedo, speaking of them, says : 

“ The third religious sect among the Chinese is from India, from the parts of 
Hindostan, which sect they call Xaca, from the founder of it, concerning whom 
they fable—that he was conceived by his mother Maya, from a white elephant, 


1 See Asiatic Res., vol. x.; and Anac., vol. 
i. p. 662. 

3 Davis : Hist. China, vol. i. p. 161. 


3 Thornton: Hist. China, vol. i. 


22 . 

4 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 184. 


PP- 21, 




120 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


which she saw in her sleep, and for more purity she brought him from one of 
her sides.” 1 

Lao-hiun , sometimes called Lao-tsze , wli<5 is said to have been 
born in the third year of the emperor Ting-wang , of the Chow 
dynasty (604 b. c.), was another miraculously-born man. He ac- 
quired great reputation for sanctity, and marvelous stories were 
told of his birth. It was said that he had existed from all eternity; 
that he had descended on earth and teas born of a virgin , black in 
complexion, described “ marvelous and beautiful as jasper.” Splen¬ 
did temples were erected to him, and he was worshiped as a god. 
His disciples were called “ Heavenly Teachers.” They inculcated 
great tenderness toward animals, and considered strict celibacy 
necessary for the attainment of perfect holiness. Lao-kiun believed 
in One God whom he called Tao, and the sect which he formed is 
called Too-tse , or u Sect of Reason.” Sir Thomas Thornton, speak¬ 
ing of him, says: 

“The mythological history of this ‘prince of the doctrine of the Taou' 
which is current amongst Ins followers, represents him as a clirine emanation incar¬ 
nate in a human form. They term him the ‘most high and venerable prince of 
the portals of gold of the palace of the genii,’ and say that he condescended to a 
contact with humanity when he became incorporated with the ‘ miraculous and 
excellent Virgin of jasper.’ Like Buddha, he came out of his mother’s side, and 
was born under a tree. 

“The legends of the Taou-tse declare their founder to have existed antecedent 
to the birth of the elements, in the Great Absolute; that he is the ‘ pure essence 
of the teen;’ that he is the ‘ original ancestor of the prime breath of life;’ and 
that he gave form to the heavens and the earth.” 2 

M. Le Compte says : 

“Those who have made this (the religion of Taou-tsze) their professed bus¬ 
iness, are called Tien-se, that is, ‘Heavenly Doctors;’ they have houses (Monas¬ 
teries) given them to live together in society; they erect, in divers parts, temples 
to their master, and king and people honor him with divine worship.” 

Yu was another virgin-born Chinese sage, who is said to have 
lived upon earth many ages ago. Confucius—as though he had 
been questioned about him—says : u I see no defect in the character 
of Yu. He was sober in eating and drinking, and eminently pious 
toward spirits and ancestors.” 3 

Ildu-hi , the Chinese hero, was of supernatural origin. 

The following is the history of his birth, according to the “ Shill- 
King :” 


1 Semedo : Hist. China, p. 89, in Anac., vol. 
ii. p. 227. 

2 Thornton : Hist. China, vol. i. pp. 134— 


137. See also Chamberses Encyclo., art. Lao- 
tsze. 

8 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. pp. 204, 205. 



THE MIRACULOUS BIRTII OF CHRIST JESUS. 


121 


“His mother, who was childless, had presented a pure offering and sacri¬ 
ficed, that her childlessness might be taken away. She then trod on a toe-print 
made by God, and was moved, 1 in the large place where she rested. She became 
pregnant; she dwelt retired; she gave birth to and nourished a son, who was 
Ildu-ki. When she had fulfilled her months, her first-born son came forth like a 
lamb. There was no bursting, no rending, no injury, no hurt; showing how 
wonderful he would be. Did not God give her comfort? Had he not accepted 
her pure offering and sacrifice, so that thus easily she brought forth her son?” 2 

Even the sober Confucius (born b. c. 501) was of supernatural 
origin. The most important event in Chinese literary and ethical 
history is the birth of Kung-foo-tsze (Confucius), both in its effects 
on the moral organization of this great empire, and the study of 
Chinese philosophy in Europe. 

Kung-foo-tsze (meaning “ the sage Kung ” or “ the wise excel¬ 
lence”) was of royal descent / and his family the most ancient in 
the empire, as his genealogy was traceable directly up to Ilwang- 
te, the reputed organizer of the state, the first emperor of the semi- 
liistorical period (beginning 2G96 b. c.). 

At his birth a prodigious quadruped, called the Ke-lin, appeared 
and prophesied that the new-born infant “ would be a king with¬ 
out throne or territory.” Two dragons hovered about the couch 
of Yen-she (his mother), and five, celestial sages, or angels, entered 
at the moment of the birth of the wondrous child; heavenly 
strains w T ere heard in the air, and harmonious chords followed 
each other, fast and full. Thus was Confucius ushered into the 
world. 

His disciples, who were to expound his precepts, were seventy- 
two in number, twelve of whom were his ordinary companions, the 
depositories of his thoughts, and the witnesses of all his actions. 
To them he minutely explained his docHines, and charged them 
with their propagation after his death. Yan-hwuy was his favorite 
disciple, who, in his opinion, had attained the highest degree of 
moral perfection. Confucius addressed him in terms of great 
affection, which denoted that he relied mainly upon him for the 
accomplishment of his work. 3 

Even as late as the seventeenth century of our era, do we find 
the myth of the virgin-born God in China. 4 


1 “The ‘ toe-print made by God' has occa¬ 
sioned much speculation of the critics. We 
may simply draw the conclusion that the poet 
meant to have his readers believe with him 
that the conception of his hero was super¬ 
natural.” (James Legge.) 

2 The Shih-Kiug, Decade ii. Ode 1. 

s See Thornton’s Hist. China, vol. i. pp. 199, 

200, and Buckley’s Cities of the Ancient World, 


pp. 168-170. 

4 “ Le Dieu La des Lamas est ne d’une 
Vierge: plusieurs princes de l’Asie, entr’autres 
VEmpereur Kienlong , aujourd’hui regnant a la 
Chine, et qui est de la race de ces 1’artares 
Mandhuis, qui conquirent cet empire en 1644, 
croit, et assure lui-meme, etre descendu d'une 
Vierge." (D’Hancarville : Kes. Sur l’Orig., p. 
186, in Anac., vol. ii. p. 97.) 





122 


lilBXiE MYTHS. 


All these god-begotten and virgin born men were called Tien - 
tse , i. €., “ Sons of Heaven.” 

If from China we should turn to Egypt we would find that, 
for ages before the time of Jesus of Nazareth, the mediating deity, 
born of a virgin, and without a worldly father, was a portion of the 
Egyptian belief. 1 

Horus , who had the epithet of “ Saviour ,” was born of the 
virgin Isis. “ His birth was one of the greatest Mysteries of the 
Egyptian religion. Pictures representing it appear on the walls of 
temples.” 2 lie is u the second emanation of Amon , the son whom 
he begot.” 3 Egyptian monuments represent the infant Saviour in 
the arms of his virgin mother, or sitting on her knee. 4 An inscrip¬ 
tion on a monument, translated by Champollion, reads thus : 

“ O thou avenger, God, son of a God; O thou avenger, Horus, manifested by 
Osiris, engendered of the goddess Isis .” 5 

The Egyptian god 12a was born from the side of his mother, 
but was not engendered . 6 

The ancient Egyptians also deified kings and heroes, in the 
same manner as the ancient Greeks and Romans. An Egyptian 
king became, in a sense, “ the vicar of God on earth, the infallible, 
and the personated deity.” 7 

P. Le Page Renouf, in his Ilibbert Lectures on the Religion of 
Ancient Egypt, says : 

“I must not quit this part of my subject without a reference to the belief that 
the ruling sovereign of Egypt was the living image and vicegerent of the Sun- 
god ( Ra ). He icas invested with the attributes of divinity, and that in the earliest 
times of wdiich we possess monumental evidence .” 8 

Menes , who is said to have been the first king of Egypt, was 
believed to be a god. 9 

Almost all the temples of the left bank of the Nile, at Thebes, 
had been constructed in view of the worship rendered to the 
Pharaohs, their founders, after their death. 10 

On the wall of one of these Theban temples is to be seen a 
picture representing the god Thoth—the messenger of God—tellin^ 


1 See Mahaffy: Proleg. to Anct. Hist., p. 
416, and Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 406. 

2 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 157. 

3 Renouf: Relig. Anct. Egypt, p. 162. 

4 See the chapter on “ The Worship of the 

Virgin Mother.” 

6 “ O toi vengeur, Dieu fils d’nn Dieu; 

O toi vengeur, Horus, manifesto par Osiris, en- 


gendre d’lsis deesee.” (Champollion, p. 190.) 

6 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 408. 

7 Ibid, p. 247. 

8 Renouf : Religion of Ancient Egypt, p. 
161. 

9 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. pp. 67 and 
147. 

10 Bonwick: Egyptian Belief, p. 248. 




THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 


123 


the maiden, Queen Mautmes, that she is to give birth to a divine 
son, who is to be King Amunotkph III. 1 

An inscription found in Egypt makes the god Ra say to his son 
Ramses III.: 

“ I am thy father; by me are begotten all thy members as divine; I have formed 
thy shape like the Mendesian god; I have begotten thee, impregnating thy ven¬ 
erable mother .” 2 

Raam-ses, or Ra-me-ses, means “ Son of the Sun,” and Ram¬ 
ses Ilek An, a name of Ramses III., means “ engendered by Ra 
(the Sun), Prince of An (Heliopolis).” 3 * 

“ Thotmes III., on the tablet of Karnak, presents offerings to his 
predecessors ; so does Ramses on the tablet of Aim!os. Even dur¬ 
ing his life-time the Egyptian king was denominated ‘ Beneficent 
God:”' 

The ancient Babylonians also believed that their kings were 
gods upon earth. A passage from Menaut’s translation of the great 
inscription of Nebuchadnezzar, reads thus: 

“I am Nabu-kuder-usur . . . the first-born son of Nebu-pal-usur, King 

of Babylon. The god Bel himself created me, the god Marduk engendered me, 
and deposited himself the germ of my life in the womb of my mother .” 5 

In the life of Zoroaster, the law-giver of the Persians , the 
common mythos is apparent. “ lie w T as born in innocence, of an 
immaculate conception, of a ray of the Divine Reason. As soon 
as lie was born the glory from his body enlightened the whole 
room.” 6 Plato informs us that Zoroaster was said to be “theson of 
Oromasdes, which was the name the Persians gave to the Supreme 
God ” 7 —therefore he was the Son of God. 

From the East we will turn to the West, and shall find that 
many of the ancient heroes of Grecian and Roman mythology were 
regarded as of divine origin, were represented as men, possessed 
of god-like form, strength and courage; were believed to have 
lived on earth in the remote, dim ages of the nation’s history ; to 
have been occupied in their life-time with thrilling adventures and 
extraordinary services in the cause of human civilization, and to 
have been after death in some cases translated to a life among the 
gods, and entitled to sacrifice and worship. In the hospitable 
Pantheon of the Greeks and Romans, a niche was always in readi- 


1 Bonwick: Egyptian Belief, p. 407. 

2 Renouf : Relig. of Anct. Egypt, p. 1G3. 

3 See Herbert Spencer’s Principles of Soci¬ 

ology, vol. i. p. 420. 

* Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 431. 


8 Spencer’s Principles Sociology, vol. i. p. 
421. 

6 Malcolm : Hist. Persia, vol. i. p. 491. 
Quoted in Anac., vol. i. p. 649. 

7 Quoted in Ibid. p. 117. 



124 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


ness for every new divinity who could produce respectable cre¬ 
dentials. 

The Christian Father Justin Martyr, says : 

“ It having reached the Devil’s ears that the prophets had foretold the com¬ 
ing of Christ ( the Son of God), he set the Heathen Poets to bring forward a great 
many who should be called the sons of Jove. The Devil laying his scheme in 
this, to get men to imagine that the true history of Christ was of the same char¬ 
acter as the 'prodigious fables related of the sons of Jove,” 

Among these “ sons of Jove ” may be mentioned the following : 
Hercules was the son of Jupiter by a mortal mother, Alcmene, 
Queen of Thebes. 1 Zeus, the god of gods, spake of Hercules, his 
son, and said: “ This day shall a child be born of the race of 

Perseus, who shall be the mightiest of the sons of men.” 2 

Bacchus was the son of Jupiter and a mortal mother, Semele, 
daughter of Kadmus, King of Thebes. 3 As Mont fan con says, “ It 
is the son of Jupiter and Semele which the poets celebrate, and 
which the monuments represent.” 4 

Bacchus is made to say : 

“I, son of Deus, am come to this land of the Thebans, Bacchus, whom for¬ 
merly Semele the daughter of Kadmus brings forth, being delivered by the 
lightning-bearing flame: and having taken a mortal form instead of a god’s, I 
have arrived at the fountains of Dirce and the water of Ismenus .” 5 

Arrvphion was the son of Jupiter and a mortal mother, Antiope, 
daughter of Hicetus, King of Boeotia." 

Prometheus , whose name is derived from a Greek word signify¬ 
ing foresight and providence, was a deity who united the divine and 
human nature in one person, and was confessedly both man and 
o>od 7 

Perseus was the son of Jupiter by the virgin Danae, daughter 
of Acrisius, King of Argos. 8 Divine honors were paid him, and a 
temple was erected to him in Athens. 9 

Justin Martyr (a. d. 140), in his Apology to the Emperor 
Adrian, says : 

“By declaring the Logos, the first-begotten of God, our Master, Jesus Christ, 
to be born of a virgin, without any human mixture, we (Christians) say no mure 
in this than what you (Pagans) say of those whom you style the Sons of Jove. For 


1 Roman Antiq., p, 124. Bell’s Panth., i. 
328. Dupuis, p. 258. 

2 Tales of Anct. Greece, p. 55. 

9 Greek anti Italian Mytho., p. 81. Bell’s 
Panth., i. 117. Roman Antiq., p. 71, and Mur¬ 
ray's Manual Mytho., p. 118. 

4 L’Antiquite Expliquee, vol. i. p. 229. 

6 Euripides: Baccliae. Quoted by Dunlap : 


Spirit Hist, of Man, p. 200. 

0 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 58. Roman An¬ 
tiquities, p. 133. 

7 See the chapter on “ The Crucifixion of 
Jesus,” and Bell's Pantheon, ii. 195. 

s Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 170. Bulfinch : 
The Age of Fable, p. 101. 

9 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 171 . 




TIIE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 


125 


you need not be told wliat a parcel of sons the writers most in vogue among you 
assign to Jove. . . . 

“As to the Son of God, called Jesus, should we allow him to be nothing more 
than man, yet the title of ‘ the Son of God ’ is very justifiable, upon the account 
of his wisdom, considering that you (Pagans) have your Mercury in worship 
under the title of the Word, a messenger of God. . . . 

“ As to his (Jesus Christ’s) being born of a virgin, you have your Perseus to 
balance that J ’ 1 2 

Mercury was the son of Jupiter and a mortal mother, Maia, 
daughter of Atlas. Cyllene, in Arcadia, is said to have been the 
scene of his birth and education, and a magnificent temple was 
erected to him there. 3 

AEolus, king of the Lipari Islands, near Sicily, was the son of 
Jupiter and a mortal mother, Acasta. 3 

Apollo was the son of Jupiter and a mortal mother, Latona. 4 
Like Buddha and Lao-Kiun, Apollo, so the Ephesians said, was 
born under a tree; Latona, taking shelter under an olive-tree, was 
delivered there. 5 Then there was joy among the undying gods in 
Olympus, and the Earth laughed beneath the smile of Heaven. 6 

Aethlius , who is said to have been one of the institutors of the 
Orphic games, was the son of Jupiter by a mortal mother, Proto- 
genia. 7 

Areas was the son of Jupiter and a mortal mother. 8 

Aroclus was the son of Jupiter and a mortal mother. 9 

We might continue and give the names of many more sons of 
Jove, but sufficient has been seen, we believe, to show, in the words 
of Justin, that Jove had a great “ parcel of sons.” “ The images of 
self-restraint, of power used for the good of others, are prominent 
in the lives of all or almost all the Zeus-born heroes.” 10 

This Jupiter, who begat so many sons, was the supreme god of 
the Pagans. In the words of Orpheus : 

“ Jupiter is omnipotent; the first and the last, the head and the midst; Jupi¬ 
ter, the giver of all tilings, the foundation of the earth, and the starry heavens .” 11 

The ancient Eomans were in the habit of deifying their living 
and departed emperors, and gave to them the title of Divus, or the 
Divine One. It was required throughout the whole empire that 
divine honors should be paid to the emperors. 12 They had a cere- 


1 Quoted in Taylor’s Syntagma, p. 169. 

2 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 07. Bulflnch : 
The Age of Fable, p. 19. 

3 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 25. 

4 Ibid, p. 74, and Bulflnch : p. 248. 

6 Tacitus : Annals, iii. Ixi. 

8 Tales of Anct. Greece, p. 4. 


7 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 31. 
e Ibid. p. 81. 

• Ibid. p. 16. 

10 Bell’s Pantheon, ii. p. 30. 

11 Cox : Aryan Mythology, ii. 45. 

12 The Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 3, and 
Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 372. 





120 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


mony called Apotheosis, or deification. After this ceremony, 
temples, altars, and images, with attributes of divinity, were erected 
to the new deity. It is related by Eusebius, Tertullian, and Chry¬ 
sostom, that Tiberius proposed to the Homan Senate the Apotheosis 
or deification of Jesus Christ. 1 EElius Lampridius, in his Life of 
Alexander Severus (who reigned a. d. 222-235), says: 

“ This emperor had two private chapels, one more honorable than the other; 
and in the former were placed the deified emperors, and also some eminent good 
men, among them Abraham, Christ, and Orpheus .” 2 

Romulus , who is said to have been the founder of Home, was 
believed to have been the son of God by a pure virgin, Hhea-Sylvia. 3 
One Julius Proculus took a solemn oath, that Homulus himself 
appeared to him and ordered him to inform the Senate of his be¬ 
ing called np to the assembly of the gods, under the name of Quiri- 
nus. 4 * 

Julius Caesar was supposed to have had a god for a father. 6 

Augustus Coesar was also believed to have been of celestial ori¬ 
gin, and had all the honors paid to him as to a divine person.® His 
divinity is expressed by Virgil, in the following lines: 

“-Turn, turn thine eyes, see here thy race divine, 

Behold thy own imperial Roman Sine: 

Caesar, with all the Julian name survey; 

See where the glorious ranks ascend to-day !— 

This—this is he— the chief so long foretold, 

To bless the land where Saturn ruled of old, 

And give the Learnean realms a second eye of gold! 

The promised prince, Augustus the divine, 

Of Caesar’s race, and Jove’s immortal line .” 7 

“The honors due to the gods,” says Tacitus, “were no longer 
sacred: Augustus claimed equal worship. Temples were built, 
and statues were erected, to him; a mortal man was adored, and 
priests and pontiffs were appointed to pay him impious homage.” 8 

Divine honors were declared to the memory of Claudius, after 
his death, and he was added to the number of the gods. The titles 
“ Our Lord,” “ Our Master,” and “ Our God,” were given to the 
Emperors of Home, even while living. 9 


1 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 78. 

2 Quoted by Lardner, vol. iii. p. 157. 

3 Draper : Religion and Science, p. 8. 

4 Middleton’s Letters from Rome. p. 37. In 

the case of Jesus , one Saul of Tarsus, said to 

be of a worthy and upright character, declared 

most solemnly, that Jesus himself appeared 

to him while on his way to Damascus, and 


again while praying in the temple at Jerusalem. 
(Acts xxii.) 

6 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 345. 
Gibbon’s Rome, vol. i. pp. 84, 85. 

fi Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 611. 

7 iEneid, lib. iv. Quoted by Higgins. Ibid, 
p. 614. 

8 Tacitus : Annals, bk. i. ch. x. 

9 Ibid. bk. ii. ch. lxxxii., and bk. xiii. ch. ii. 




THE MIRACULOUS BIRTII OF CHRIST JESUS. 


127 


In the deification of the Caesars, a testimony upon oath, of an 
eagle’s flying out of the funeral pile, toward heaven, which was 
supposed to convey the soul of the deceased, was the established 
proof of their divinity. 1 

Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia (born 35G b. c.), whom 
genius and uncommon success had raised above ordinary men, was 
believed to have been a god upon earth. 2 He was believed to have 
been the son of Jupiter by a mortal mother, Olympias. 

Alexander at one time visited the temple of Jupiter Ammon, 
which was situated in an oasis in the Libyan desert, and the Oracle 
there declared him to be a son of the god. lie afterwards issued 
his orders, letters, decrees, &c., styling himself “ Alexander , son of 
Jupiter Ammon .” 3 

The words of the oracle which declared him to be divine were 
as follows, says Socrates: 

“ Let altars burn and incense pour, please Jove Minerva eke; 

The potent Prince though nature frail, his favor you must seek, 

For Jove from heaven to earth him sent, lo! Alexander king, 

As God he comes the earth to rule, and just laws for to bring .” 4 

Ptolemy , who w^as one of Alexander’s generals in his Eastern 
campaigns, and into whose hands Egypt fell at the death of 
Alexander, was also believed to have been of divine origin. At 
the siege of Rhodes, Ptolemy had been of such signal service to 
its citizens that in gratitude they paid divine honors to him, and 
saluted him with the title of Soter, i. e ., Saviour. By that designa¬ 
tion, “ Ptolemy Soter,” he is distinguished from the succeeding 
kings of the Macedonian dynasty in Egypt. 5 

Cyrus , King of Persia, was believed to have been of divine 
origin ; he w T as called the “ Christ ,” or the “ Anointed of God,” 
and God’s messenger. 6 

Plato , born at Athens 420 b. c., was believed to have been the 
son of God by a pure virgin, called Perictione. 7 

The reputed father of Plato (Aris) was admonished in a dream 
to respect the person of his wdfe until after the birth of the child 
of -which she was then pregnant by a god. 9 

Prof. Draper, speaking of Plato, says: 


37, 38. 

2 See Religion of the Ancient Greeks, p. 81, 


i See Middleton’s Letters from Rome, pp. 


6 See Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 418. 
Bunsen : Bible Chronology, p. 5, and Ttie An- 
gel-Messiah, pp. 80 and 298. 


and Gibbon’s Rome, vol. i. pp. 84, 85. 

3 Draper : Religion and Science, p. 8. 

4 Socrates : Eccl. Hist. Lib. 3, ch. xix. 

8 Draper : Religion and Science, p. 17. 


7 See Higgins : Anaealypsis, vol. ii. p. 113, 
and Draper : Religion and Science, p. 8. 


8 Hardy : Manual Bndd., p. 141. Higgins : 
Anac., i. 618. 



128 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


“The Egyptian disciples of Plato would have looked with anger on those 
who rejected the legend that Perietione, the mother of that great philosopher, a 
pure virgin, had suffered an immaculate conception through the influences of 
(the god) Apollo, and that the god had declared to Aris, to idiom she icas betrothed, 
the ‘parentage of the child A ’ 1 

Here we have the legend of the angel appearing to Joseph— 
to whom Mary was betrothed—believed in by the disciples of 
Plato for centuries before the time of Christ Jesus, the only 
difference beiim that the virgin’s name was Perietione instead of 
Mary, and the confiding husband’s name Aris instead of Joseph. 
We have another similar case. 

The mother of Apollonius (b. c. 41) was informed by a god, 
who appeared to her, that he himself should l>e born of her.' 2 In 
the course of time she gave birth to Apollonius, who became a 
great religious teacher, and performer of miracles. 3 

Pythagoras , born about 570 B. c., had divine honors paid him. 
His mother is said to have become impregnated through a spectre , 
or Holy Ghost. His father—or foster-father—was also informed 
that his wife should bring forth a son, who should be a benefactor 
to mankind. 4 

Aesculapius, the great performer of miracles, 6 was supposed to 
be the son of a god and a worldly mother, Coronis. The Messe- 
nians, who consulted the oracle at Delphi to know where Aescula¬ 
pius was born, and of what parents, were informed that a god was 
bis father, Coronis his mother, and that their son was bom at Epi- 
daurus. 

Coronis, to conceal her pregnancy from her father, went to 
Epidaurus, where she was delivered of a son, whom she exposed 
on a mountain. Aristhenes, a goat-herd, going in search of a goat 
and a dog missing from his fold, discovered the child, whom he 
would have carried to his home, had he not, upon approaching to 
lift him from the earth, perceived his head encircled with fiery 
rays, which made him believe the child was divine. The voice 
of fame soon published the birth of a miraculous infant, upon 
which the people flocked from all quarters to behold this heaven- 
born child? 

Being honored as a god in Phenicia and Egypt, his w T orship 
passed into Greece and Rome. 7 


1 Draper : Religion and Science, p. 8. Com¬ 
pare Luke i. 28-S5. 

2 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 221. 

8 See the chapter on Miracles. 

4 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 151. 


6 See the chapter on Miracles. 

6 Bell’s Pantheon, i. 27. Roman Ant., 136. 
Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 150. 

’ Ibid. 






THE MIRACULOUS BIRTII OF CHRIST JESUS. 129 


Simon the Samaritan , surnamed “Magus” or the “Magician,” 
who was contemporary with Jesus, was believed to be a god. 
In Rome, where be performed wonderful miracles, lie was honored 
as a god, and bis picture placed among the gods. 1 

Justin Martyr, quoted by Eusebius, tells us that Simon Magus 
attained great honor among the Romans. That he was believed 
to be a god , and that lie was worshiped as such. Between two 
bridges upon the River Tibris, was to be seen this inscription: 
“ Simoni Deo Sancto,” i. e. “ To Simon the Holy God.” 2 

It was customary with all the heroes of the northern nations 
(Danes, Swedes, Norwegians and Icelanders), to speak of them¬ 
selves as sprung from their supreme deity, Odin. The historians 
of those times, that is to say, the poets, never failed to bestow the 
same honor on all those whose praises they sang; and thus they 
multiplied the descendants of Odin as much as they found con¬ 
venient. The first-begotten son of Odin was Thor, whom the 
Eddas call the most valiant of his sons. “Baldur the Good,” the 
“ Beneficent Saviour,” was the son of the Supreme Odin and the 
goddess Erigga, whose worship was transferred to that of the 
Virgin Mary. 3 * * 

In the mythological systems of America , a virgin-born god 
was not less clearly recognized than in those of the Old World. 
Among the savage tribes his origin and character were, for obvious 
reasons, much confused; but among the more advanced nations he 
occupied a well-defined position. Among the nations of Anahuac, 
he bore the name of Quetzalcoatle , and was regarded with the 
highest veneration. 

For ages before the landing of Columbus on its shores, the 
inhabitants of ancient Mexico worshiped a “Saviour”—as they 
called him—( Quetzalcoatle ) who was born of a pure virgin? A 
messenger from heaven announced to his mother that she should 
bear a son without connection with man? Lord Kingsborough tells 
us that the annunciation of the virgin Sochiquetsal , mother of 
Quetzalcoatle,—who was styled the “ Queen of Heaven”'' —was 
the subject of a Mexican hieroglyph. 7 

The embassador was sent from heaven to this virgin, who had 
two sisters, Tzochitlique and Conatlique. “ These three being 
alone in the house, two of them, on perceiving the embassador from 
heaven, died of fright, Sochiquetzal remaining alive, to whom the 


i Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 2, cb. xiii. 

9 Ibid. ch. xiii. 

3 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities. 

* See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 32, 

Kingsborough: Mexican Antiquities, vol. 

0 


vi. 168 and 175-6. 

3 Ibid. 

6 See Kingsborough : Mexican Antiquities, 
vol. vi. p. 176. 

7 Ibid. p. 175. 



130 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


embassador announced that it was the will of God that she 
should conceive a son.” 1 She therefore, according to the predic¬ 
tion, “ conceived a son, without connection with man, who was 
called Quetzalcoatle.” 2 

Dr. Daniel Brinton, in his “ Myths of the New World,” says: 

“ The Central figure of Toltec mythology is Quetzalcoatle. Not an author on 
ancient Mexico, but has something to say about the glorious days when he ruled 
over the land. No one denies him to have been a god. lie was born of a virgin 
in the land of Tula or Tlopallan .” 3 

The Mayas of Yucatan had a virgin-born god, corresponding 
entirely with Quetzalcoatle, if he was not the same under a differ¬ 
ent name, a conjecture very well sustained by the evident relation¬ 
ship between the Mexican and Mayan mythologies. He was named 
Zama , and was the only-begotten son of their supreme god, Kin- 
chalian. 4 

The Muyscas of Columbia had a similar hero-god. Accord¬ 
ing to their traditionary history, he bore the name of Bocliica. 
He was the incarnation of the Great Father, whose sovereignty and 
paternal care he emblematized. 5 

The inhabitants of Nicaragua called their principal god Tliom- 
athoyo; and said that he had a son, who came down to earth, 
whose name was Theotbilalie, and that he was their general in¬ 
structor. 6 

We find a corresponding character in the traditionary history of 
Peru. The Sun—the god of the Peruvians—deploring their mis¬ 
erable condition, sent down his son, Manco Cajpac, to instruct 
them in religion, &c. 7 

We have also traces of a similar personage in the traditionary 
Yotan oi Guatemala• but ouf accounts concerning him are more 
vague than in the cases above mentioned. 

We find this traditional character in countries and am one* tribes 
where we would be least apt to suspect its existence. In Brazil, 
besides the common belief in an age of violence, during which the 
world w T as destroyed by water, there is a tradition of a supernatural 
personage called Zome, whose history is similar, in some respects, 
to that of Quetzalcoatle. 8 

The semi-civilized agricultural tribes of Florida had like tradi¬ 
tions. The Cherokees, in particular, had a priest and law-giver 


1 See Kingsborough : Mexican Antiquities, 
vol. vi. p. 176. 

2 Ibid. p. 166. 

3 Brinton : Myths of the New World, pp. 

180, 181. 


4 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 187. 
6 Ibid. p. 188. 

«Ibid. 

2 Ibid. 

8 Ibid. p. 190. 



THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 


131 


essentially corresponding to Quetzalcoatle and Bochica. He was 
their great prophet, and bore the name of Wasi, “ He told them 
what had been from the beginning of the world, and what would 
be, and gave the people in all things directions what to do. He 
appointed their feasts and fasts, and all the ceremonies of their re¬ 
ligion, and enjoined upon them to obey his directions from genera¬ 
tion to generation.” 1 

Among the savage tribes the same notions prevailed. The 
JEdues of the Californians taught that there was a supreme Creator, 
Niparaga , and that his son, Quaagagp , came down upon the earth 
and instructed the Indians in religion, Ac. Finally, through 
hatred, the Indians killed him ; but although dead, he is incorrup¬ 
tible and beautiful. To him they pay adoration, as the mediatory 
power between earth and the Supreme Niparaga. 2 

The Iroquois also had a beneficent being, uniting in himself the 
character of a god and man , who was called Tarengawagan. He 
imparted to them the knowledge of the laws of the Great Spirit, es¬ 
tablished their form of government, Ac. 3 

Among the Algonquins , and particularly among the Ojibways 
and other remnants of that stock of the North-west, this intermedi¬ 
ate great teacher (denominated, by Mr. Schoolcraft, in his “ Notes 
of the Iroquois ,” “ the great incarnation of the North-west ”) is fully 
recognized. He bears the name of Michabou , and is represented 
as the first-born son of a great celestial Manitou , or Spirit , by an 
earthly mother , and is esteemed the friend and protector of the 
human race. 4 

I think we can now say with M. Dupuis, that “the idea of a 
God, who came down on earth to save mankind, is neither new nor 
peculiar to the Christians,” and with Cicero, the great Roman ora¬ 
tor and philosopher, that “ brave, famous or powerful men, after 
death, came to be gods , and they are the very ones whom we are 
accustomed to worship, pray to and venerate.” 

Taking for granted that the synoptic Gospels are historical, there 
is no proof that Jesus ever claimed to be either God, or a god ; on 
the other hand, it is quite the contrary. 5 As Viscount Amberly says: 
“ The best proof of this is that Jesus never, at any period of his life, 


1 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 191. 

2 Ibid, 

s Ibid. 

* Ibid, p. 192. 

6 “ If we seek, in the first three Gospels, to 
know what his biographers thought of Jesus, 
we find his true humanity plainly stated, and if 


we possessed only the Gospel of Mark and the 
discourses of the Apostles in the Acts, the 
whole Christology of the New Testament would 
be reduced to this : that Jesus of Nazareth was 
* a prophet mighty in deeds and in words , 
made by God Christ and Lord.’ ” (Albert Ke- 
ville.) 



132 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


desired liis followers to worship him, either as God, or as the Son 
of God,” in the sense in which it is now understood. Iiad he be¬ 
lieved of himself what his followers subsequently believed of him, 
that he was one of the constituent persons in a divine Trinity, he 
must have enjoined his Apostles both to address him in prayer 
themselves, and to desire their converts to do likewise. It is 
quite plain that he did nothing of the kind, and that they never 
supposed him to have done so. 

Belief in Jesus as the Messiah was taught as the first dogma 
of Christianity, but adoration of Jesus as God was not taught 
at all. 

But we are not left in this matter to depend on conjectural 
inferences. The words put into the mouth of Jesus are plain. 
Whenever occasion arose, he asserted his inferiority to the Father , 
though, as no one had then dreamt of his equality, it is natural that 
the occasions should not have been frequent. 

lie made himself inferior in knowledge when he said that of 
the day and hour of the day of judgment no one knew, neither the 
angels in heaven nor the Son ; no one except the Father. 1 

He made himself inferior in p>ower when he said that seats on 
his right hand and on his left in the kingdom of heaven were not 
his to give. 2 

He made himself inferior in virtue when he desired a certain 
man not to address him as “ Good Master,” for there was none good 
but God. 3 

The words of his prayer at Gethsemane, “ all things are possible 
unto thee” imply that all things were not possible to him, while its 
conclusion “ not what I will , but what thou wilt” indicates submis¬ 
sion to a superior, not the mere execution of a purpose of his own. 4 
Indeed, the whole prayer would have been a mockery, useless for any 
purpose but the deception of his disciples, if he had himself been 
identical with the Being to whom he prayed, and had merely been 
giving effect by his death to their common counsels. While the 
cry of agony from the cross, “My God , my God! why hast 
thou forsaken mef” h would have been quite unmeaning if the 
person forsaken , and the person forsaking , had been one and 
the same. 

Either , then, we must assume that the language of Jesus has 
been misreported , or we must admit that he never for a moment 
pretended to be co-equal, co-eternal or consubstantial with God. 


1 Mark, xiii. 32. 
3 Mark, x. 40. 


3 Mark, x. 18. 

4 Mark, xiv. 3G. 


6 Mark, xv. 34. 





THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 


133 


It also follows of necessity from both the genealogies] that their 
compilers entertained no doubt that Joseph was the father of Jesus. 
Otherwise the descent of Joseph would not have been in the least 
to the point. All attempts to reconcile this inconsistency with the 
doctrine of the Angel-Messiah has been without avail, although the 
most learned Christian divines, for many generations past, have 
endeavored to do so. 

So, too, of the stories of the Presentation in the Temple, 2 and 
of the child Jesus at Jerusalem, 3 Joseph is called his father . 
Jesus is repeatedly described as the son of the carpenter] or the 
son of Joseph, without the least indication that the expression is 
not strictly in accordance with the fact. 5 

If his parents fail to understand him when he says, at twelve 
years old, that he must be about his Father’s business ; 6 if he 
afterwards declares that he finds no faith among his nearest rela¬ 
tions; 7 if he exalts his faithful disciples above his unbelieving 
mother and brothers ; 8 above all, if Mary and her other sons put 
down his prophetic enthusiasm to insanity f —then the untrust¬ 
worthy nature of these -stories of his birth is absolutely certain. 
If even a little of what they tell us had been true, then Mary at 
least would have believed in Jesus, and would not have failed so 
utterty to understand him. 10 

The Gospel of Mark—which, in this respect, at least, abides 
most faithfully by the old apostolic tradition—says not a word 
about Bethlehem or the miraculous birth. The congregation of 

O O 

Jerusalem to which Mary and the brothers of Jesus belonged, 11 and 
over which the eldest of them, James, presided, 12 can have known 
nothing of it; for the later Jewish-Christian communities, the 
so-called Ebionites, who were descended from the congregation at 
Jerusalem, called Jesus the son of Joseph. Hay, the story that 
the Holy Spirit was the father of Jesus, must have risen among 


1 Matt, and Luke. 

“ The passages which appear most con¬ 
firmatory of Christ’s Deity, or Divine nature, 
are, in the first place, the narratives of the In¬ 
carnation and of the Miraculous Conception, as 
given by Matthew and Luke. Now, the two 
narratives do not harmonize with each other ; 
they neutralize and negative the genealogies on 
which depend so large a portion of the proof of 
Jesus being the Messiah—the marvellous state¬ 
ment they contain is not referred to in any 
subsequent portion of the two Gospels, and is 
tacitly but positively negatived by several pas¬ 
sages— it is never mentioned in the Acts or in 
the Epistles, and was evidently unknown to all 
the Apostles—and, finally, the tone of the nar¬ 


rative, especially in Luke, is poetical and le¬ 
gendary, and bears a marked similarity to the 
stories contained in the Apocryphal Gospels.” 
(W. R. Greg : The Creed of Christendom, p. 
229.) 

2 Luke, ii. 27. 3 Luke, ii. 41-48. 

4 Matt. xiii. 55. 

e Luke, iv. 22. John, i. 40; vi. 42. Luke, 
iii. 23. 

6 Luke, ii. 50. 

7 Matt. xiii. 57. Mark, vi. 4. 

8 Matt. xii. 48-50. Mark, iii. 33-35. 

9 Mark, iii. 21. 

10 Dr. Ilooykaas. 

Ji Acts. i. 14. 

12 Acts, xxi. IS. Gai. ii. 19-21. 



134 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


the Greeks , or elsewhere, and not among the first believers, who were 
Jews, for the Hebrew w r ord for spirit is of the feminine gender . 1 

The immediate successors of the “ congregation at Jerusalem” 
—to which Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers belonged—- 
were, as we have seen, the Ebionites. Eusebius, the first ecclesi¬ 
astical historian (born a. d. 264), speaking of the Ebionites (i. e. 
“ poor men ”), tell us that they believed Jesus to be “ a simple and 
common man” born as other men, “ of Mary and her husband ”' 1 

The views held by the Ebionites of Jesus were, it is said, 
derived from the Gospel of Matthew, and what they learned direct 
from the Apostles. Matthew had been a hearer of Jesus, a com¬ 
panion of the Apostles, and had seen and no doubt conversed with 
Mary. When he wrote his Gospel everything w r as fresh in his 
mind, and there could be no object, on his part, in writing the life 
of Jesus, to state falsehoods or omit important truths in order to 
deceive his countrymen. If what is stated in the interpolated first 
two chapters, concerning the miraculous birth of Jesus, were true, 
Matthew would have known of it; and, knowing it, why should 
he omit it in giving an account of the life of Jesus? * 3 

The Ebionites, or Nazarenes, as they were previously called, 
were rejected by the J ews as apostates , and by the Egyptian and 
Ivoman Christians as heretics , therefore, until they completely 
disappear, their history is one of tyrannical persecution. Al¬ 
though some traces of that obsolete sect may be discovered as late 
as the fourth century, they insensibly melted away, either into the 
Homan Christian Church, or into the Jewish Synagogue, 4 and with 
them perished the original Gospel of Matthew, the only Gospel 
written by an apostle. 

“ Who, where masses of men are burning to burst the bonds of 
time and sense, to deify and to adore, wants what seems earth-born, 
prosaic fact? Woe to the man that dares to interpose it! Woe 
to the sect of faithful Ebionites even, and on the very soil of Pales¬ 
tine, that dare to maintain the earlier, humbler tradition ! Swiftly 
do they become heretics, revilers, blasphemers, though sanctioned 
bv a James, brother of the Lord.” 

Edward Gibbon, speaking of this most unfortunate sect, 
says: 

“ A laudable regard for the honor of the first proselytes has countenanced the 
belief, the hope, the wish, that the Ebionites, or at least the Nazarenes, were 


1 See The Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 57. gated this subject in his “ Christ of Paul,” to 

3 Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 3, ch. xxiv. Which the reader is referred. 

8 Mr. George Reber has thoroughly investi- * See Gibbon’s Rome, vol. i. pp. 515-517. 




THE MIRACULOUS BIRTII OF CHRIST JESUS. 


135 


distinguished only by their obstinate perseverance in the practice of the Mosaic 
rites. Their churches have disappeared, their books are obliterated , their obscure 
freedom might allow a latitude of faith, and the softness of their infant creed 
would be variously moulded by the zeal of prejudice of three hundred years. 
A et the most charitable criticism must refuse these sectaries any knowledge of 
the pure and proper divinity of Christ. Educated in the school of Jewish 
prophecy and prejudice, they had never been taught to elevate their hope above 
a human and temporal Messiah. If they had courage to hail their king when he 
appeared in a plebeian garb, their grosser apprehensions were incapable of dis¬ 
cerning their God, who had studiously disguised his celestial character under the 
name and 'person of a mortal. 

“ The familiar companions of Jesus of Nazareth conversed with their friend 
and countryman, who, in all the actions of rational and human life, appeared of 
the same species with themselves. His progress from infancy to youth and man¬ 
hood was marked by a regular increase in stature and wisdom; and after a pain¬ 
ful agony of mind and body, he expired on the cross .” 1 

The Jewish Christians then—the congregation of Jerusalem, 
and their immediate successors, the Ebionites or Nazarenes—saw in 
their master nothing more than a man. From this, and the other 
facts which we have seen in this chapter, it is evident that the 
man Jesus of Nazareth was deified long after his death, just as 
many other men had been deified centuries before his time, and 
even after. Until it had been settled by a council of bishops that 
Jesus was not only a God , but “ God himself in human form” 
who appeared on earth, as did Crishna of old, to redeem and 
save mankind, there were many theories concerning his nature. 

Among the early Christians there were a certain class called by 
the later Christians Heretics. Among these may be mentioned the 
“ Carpocratiansfi named after one Carpocrates. They maintained 
that Jesus was a mere 7nan , born of Joseph and Mary, like other 
men , but that he was good and virtuous. “ Some of them have the 
vanity,” says Irenceus , “to think that they may equal, or in some 
respects exceed, Jesus himself.” 2 

These are called by the general name of Gnostics , and compre¬ 
hend almost all the sects of the first two ages* They said that “all 
the ancients, and even the Apostles themselves, received and taught 
the same things which they held ; and that the truth of the Gospel 
had been preserved till the time of Victor , the thirteenth Bishop of 
Borne, but by his successor, Zephyrinus , the truth had been cor¬ 
rupted.” 4 

Eusebius, speaking of Artemon and his followers, who denied 
the divinity of Christ, says: 


i Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iv. pp. 488, 489. 

8 See Lardner’s Works, vol. viii. pp. 395, 396. 


8 Ibid. p. 306. 
«Ibid. p. 571. 




136 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ They affirm that all our ancestors, yea, and the Apostles themselves, were 
of the same opinion, and taught the same with them, and that this their true 
doctrine (for so they call it) was preached and embraced unto the time of Y ictor, 
the thirteenth Bishop of Rome after Peter,'and corrupted by his successor 
Zephyrinus .” 1 

There were also tlie “ Cerinthians ,” named after one Cerinthus, 
who maintained that Jesns was not born of a virgin, which to them 
appeared impossible, but that he was the son of Joseph and Mary, 
born altogether as other men are / but lie excelled all men in vir¬ 
tue, knowledge and wisdom. At the time of his baptism, “ the 
Christ ” came down upon him in the shape of a dove, and left 
him at the time of his crucifixion. 3 

Iren sens, speaking of Cerinthus and his doctrines, says: 

“ He represents Jesus as the son of Joseph and Mary, according to the ordi¬ 
nary course of human generation, and not as having been born of a virgin. He 
believed nevertheless that he was more righteous, prudent and wise than most 
men, and that the Christ descended upon, and entered into him, at the time 
of his baptism .”' 2 

Those who taught this doctrine were called Docetes. 

The Docetes were a numerous and learned sect of Asiatic Chris¬ 
tians who invented the johantastic system, which was afterwards 
promulgated by the Marciouites, the Maniclieans, and various other 
sects. 

They denied the truth and authenticity of the Gospels, as far as 
they related to the conception of Mary, the birth of Jesus, and the 
thirty years that preceded the exercise of his ministry. 

Placed on the confines of the Jewish and Gentile world, they 
labored to reconcile the Gnostic and the Ebionite , by confessing in 
the same Messiah the supernatural union of a man and a god ; and 
this mystic doctrine was adopted, with many fanciful improve¬ 
ments, by many sects. The hypothesis was this: that Jesus of 
Nazareth was a mere mortal, the legitimate son of Joseph and 
Mary, but he was the best and wisest of the human race, selected as 
the worthy instrument to restore upon earth the worship of the 
true and supreme Deity. When he was baptized in the Jordan, 
and not till then , he became more than man. At that time, the 
Christ, the first of the EEons , the Son of God himself, descended 
on Jesus in the form of a dove, to inhabit his mind , and direct his 
actions during the allotted period of his ministry. When he was 
delivered into the hands of the Jews, the Christ forsook him, flew 
back to the world of spirits, and left the solitary Jesus to suffer, to 


1 Eusebius : Eccl. nist., lib. 5, ch. xxv. 


2 Lardner : vol. viii. p. 404. 





THE MIRACULOUS BIRTII OF CHRIST JESUS. 


137 


complain, and to die. This is why lie said, while hanging on the 
cross : “ My God ! My God ! why hast thou forsaken me ?’ 51 

Here, then, we see thcjzrsif budding out of—what was termed by 
the true followers of Jesus— heretical doctrines . The time had 
not yet come to make Jesus a god, to claim that he had been 
born of a virgin. As he must , however, have been different from 
other mortals—throughout the period of his ministry, at least—the 
Christ must have entered into him at the time of his baptism, and 
as mysteriously disappeared when he was delivered into the hands 
of the Jews. 

In the course of time, the seeds of the faith, which had slowly 
arisen in the rocky and ungrateful soil of Judea, were transplanted, 
in full maturity, to the happier climes of the Gentiles / and the 
strangers of Rome and Alexandria, who had never beheld the man - 
hood, were more ready to embrace the divinity of Jesus. 

The polytheist and the philosopher, the Greek and the barba¬ 
rian, were alike accustomed to receive—as we have seen in this 
chapter—a long succession and infinite chain of angels, or deities, 
or aeons , or emanations, issuing from the throne of light. Nor could 
it seem strange and incredible to them , that the first of the aeons, 
the Logos, or Word of God, of the same substance with the Father, 
should descend upon earth, to deliver the human race from vice 
and error. The histories of their countries, their odes, and their 
religions were teeming with such ideas, as happening in the past, 
and they were also looking for and expecting an An gel-Messiah? 

Centuries rolled by, however, before the doctrine of Christ 
Jesus, the Angel-Messiali, became a settled question, an established 
tenet in the Christian faith. The dignity of Christ Jesus was 
measured by private judgment, according to the indefinite rule of 
Scripture, or tradition or reason. But when his pure and proper 
divinity had been established on the ruins of Arianism, the faith 
of the Catholics trembled on the edge of a precipice where it was 
impossible to recede, dangerous to stand, dreadful to fall; and the 
manifold inconveniences of their creed were aggravated by the sub¬ 
lime character of their theology. They hesitated to pronounce that 
God himself, the second person of an equal and consubstantial 
TriniH, was manifested in the flesh* that the Being who pervades 
the universe had been confined in the womb of Mary / that his 


1 See Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iv. pp. 492-495. 

2 Not a worldly Messiah , as the Jews looked 
for, but an Angel-Messiah, such an one as 
always came at the end of a cycle. We shall 
treat of this subject anon, when we answer the 


question why Jesus was believed to be an 
Avatar , by the Gentiles, and not by the Jews; 
why, in fact, the doctrine of Christ incarnate 
in Jesus succeeded and prospered. 

3 “ This strong expression might be justified 




138 


BIBLE MYTJIS. 


eternal duration had been marked by the days, and months, and 
years of human existence; that the Almighty God had been 
scourged and crucified / that his impassible essence had felt pain 
and anguish’ that his omniscience was not exempt from igno¬ 
rance’ and that the source of life and immortality expired on 
Mount Calvary. 

These alarming consequences were affirmed with unblushing 
simplicity by Apollinaris, Bishop of Laodicea, and one of the lumi¬ 
naries of the Church. The son of a learned grammarian, he was 
skilled in all the sciences of Greece ; eloquence, erudition, and phil¬ 
osophy, conspicuous in the volumes of Apollinaris, were humbly 
devoted to the service of religion. 

The worthy friend of Athanasius, the worthy antagonist of 
Julian, he bravely wrestled with the Arians and polytheists, and 
though he affected the Hgor of geometrical demonstration , his com¬ 
mentaries revealed the literal and allegorical sense of the Scriptures. 

A mystery , which had long floated in the looseness of popular 
belief, was defined by his perverse diligence in a technical form, 
and he first proclaimed the memorable words , “One incarnate na¬ 
ture of Christ A 1 

This was about a. d. 362, he being Bishop of Laodicea, in Syria, 
at that time. 2 

The recent zeal against the errors of Apollinaris reduced the 
Catholics to a seeming agreement with the double-nature of Cerin- 
thus. But instead of a temporary and occasional alliance, they 
established, and Christians still embrace , the substantial, indissolu¬ 
ble, and everlasting union of a perfect God with a perfect man , 
of the second person of the Trinity with a reasonable soul and 
human flesh. In the beginning of the fifth century , the unity of 
the two natures was the prevailing doctrine of the church. 3 From 
that time, until a comparatively recent period, the cry was: 
“ May those who divide Christ 4 be divided with the sword / may 


by the language of St. Paul ( God was manifest 
in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of an¬ 
gels, &c. I. Timothy, iii. 1G), but we are de¬ 
ceived by our modern liibles. The word which 
was altered to God at Constantinople in the be¬ 
ginning of the sixth century : the true meaning, 
which is visible in the Latin and Syriac ver¬ 
sions, still exists in the reasoning of the Greek, 
as well as of the Latin fathers ; and this fraud, 
with that of the three witnesses of St. John 
(I. John, v. 7), is admirably detected by Sir 
Isaac Newton.” (Gibbon’s Rome, iv. 496, note.) 
Dean MUman 6ays : “ The weight of au¬ 


thority is so much against the common read¬ 
ing of both these points (£. e., I. Tim. iii. 16, 
and I. John, v. 7), that they are no longer 
urged by prudent controversialists.” (Note in 
Ibid.) 

1 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iv. pp. 492-497. 

2 See Chambers’s Encyclopaedia, art. “Apol¬ 
linaris.” 

3 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iv. p. 498. 

4 That is, separate him from God the Father, 
by saying that he, Jesus of Nazareth, was not 
really and truly God Almighty himself in human 
form. 



TIIE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS. 


139 


they l)e hewn in pieces, may they be burned alive P ’ These were 
actually the words of a Christian synod. 1 Is it any wonder that 
after this came the dark ages f Plow appropriate is the name 
which has been applied to the centuries which followed! Dark 
indeed they were. How and then, however, a ray of light was 
seen, which gave evidence of the coming morn , whose glorious 
light we now enjoy. But what a grand light is yet to come from 
the noon-day sun, which must shed its glorious rays over the whole 
earth, ere it sets. 


1 See Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iv. p. 510. 




CHAPTER XIII. 


THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM. 

Being born in a miraculous manner, as other great personages 
had been, it was necessary that the miracles attending the births of 
these virgin-born gods should be added to the history of Christ 
Jesus, otherwise the legend would not be complete. 

The first which we shall notice is the story of the star 
which is said to have heralded his birth, and which was designated 
“his star.” It is related by the Matthew narrator as follows: 1 

“ When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, of Judea, in the days of Ilerod the 
king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying: ‘ Where 
is he that is born King of the Jews ? for we have seen his star in the east, and 
are come to worship him.’ ” 

Ilerod the king, having heard these things, he privately called 
the wise men, and inquired of them what time the star ap¬ 
peared, at the same time sending them to Bethlehem to search 
diligently for the young child. The wise men, accordingly, de¬ 
parted and went on their way towards Bethlehem. “ The star 
which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and 
stood over where the young child was.” 

The general legendary character of this narrative—its similarity 
in style with those contained in the apocryphal gospels—and more 
especially its conformity with those astrological notions which, 
though prevalent in the time of the Matthew narrator, have been 
exploded by the sounder scientific knowledge of our days—all unite 
to stamp upon the story the impress of poetic or mythic fiction. 

The fact that the writer of this story speaks not of a star but 
of his star , shows that it was the popular belief of the people 
among whom he lived, that each and every person was born under 
a star, and that this one which had been seen was his star. 

All ancient nations were very superstitious in regard to the 
influence of the stars upon human affairs, and this ridiculous idea 


140 


1 Matthew, ch. ii. 






THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM. 


141 


lias been handed down, in some places, even to the present day. 
Dr. Ilooykaas, speaking on this subject, says: 

“ la ancient times the Jews, like other peoples, might very well believe that 
there was some immediate connection between the stars and the life of man—an 
idea which we still preserve in the forms of speech that so-and-so was born 
under a lucky or under an evil star. They might therefore suppose that the 
birth of greatmen, such as Abraham, for instance, was announced in the heavens. 
In our century, however, if not before, all serious belief in astrology has ceased, 
and it would be regarded as an act of the grossest superstition for any one to 
have his horoscope drawn; for the course, the appearance and the disappearance 
of the heavenly bodies have been long determined with mathematical precision 
by science.” 1 

The Dev. Dr. Geikie says, in his Life of Christ : 2 

“The Jews had already, long before Christ's day, dabbled in astrology, and 
the various forms of magic which became connected with it. . . . They 
were much given to cast horoscopes from the numerical value of a name. 
Eve^wberc throughout the whole Roman Empire, Jewish magicians, dream ex¬ 
pounders, and sorcerers, were found. 

“ ‘ The life and portion of children,’ says the Talmud, ‘hang not on righteous¬ 
ness, but on their star.’ ‘ The planet of the day has no virtue, but the planet of 
the hour (of nativity) has much.’ ‘ When the Messiah is to be revealed,’ says the 
book Sohar, ‘ a star will rise in the east, shining in great brightness, and seven 
other stars round it will fight against it on every side.’ ‘ A star will rise in the 
east, which is the star of the Messiah, and will remain in the east fifteen days.’ ” 

The moment of every man’s birth being supposed to determine 
every circumstance in his life, it was only necessary to find out in 
wliat mode the celestial bodies —supposed to be the primary wheels 
to the universal machine—operated at that moment, in order to 
discover all that would happen to him afterward. 

The regularity of the risings and settings of the fixed stars, 
though it announced the changes of the seasons and the orderly 
variations of nature, could not be adapted to the capricious muta¬ 
bility of human actions, fortunes, and adventures: wherefore the 
astrologers had recourse to the planets, whose more complicated 
revolutions offered more varied and more extended combinations. 
Their different returns to certain points of the Zodiac, their 
relative positions and conjunctions with each other, were supposed 
to influence the affairs of men; whence daring impostors presumed 
to foretell, not only the destinies of individuals, but also the rise 
and fall of empires, and the fate of the world itself. 9 

The inhabitants of India are, and have always been, very super¬ 
stitious concerning the stars. The Dev. D. O. Allen, who resided 


3 See Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, 
p. 52. 


1 Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 72. 
3 Vol, i. p. 145. 




142 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


in India for twenty-five years, and who undoubtedly became thor¬ 
oughly acquainted with the superstitions of the inhabitants, says on 
this subject: 

“ So strong are the superstitious feelings of many, concerning the supposed 
influence of the stars on human affairs, that some days are lucky, and others 
again are unlucky, that no arguments or promises would induce them to deviate 
from the course which these stars, signs, &c., indicate, as the way of safety, pros¬ 
perity, and happiness. The evils and inconveniences of these superstitions and 
prejudices are among the things that press heavily upon the people of India .” 1 

The Nakshatias —twenty-seven constellations which in Indian 
astronomy separate the moon’s path into twenty-seven divisions, as 
the signs of the Zodiac do that of the sun into twelve—are re¬ 
garded as deities who exert a vast influence on the destiny of men, 
not only at the moment of their entrance into the world, but dur¬ 
ing their whole passage through it. These formidable constella¬ 
tions are consulted at births, marriages, and on all occasions of 
family rejoicing, distress or calamity. No one undertakes a jour¬ 
ney or any important matter except on days which the aspect of 
the Nakshatias renders lucky and auspicious. If any constellation 
is unfavorable, it must by all means be propitiated by a ceremony 
called S’anti. 

The Chinese were very superstitious concerning the stars. They 
annually published astronomical calculations of the motions of the 
planets, for every hour and minute of the year. They considered 
it important to be very exact, because the hours, and even the 
minutes, are lucky or unlucky, according to the aspect of the stars. 
Some days were considered peculiarly fortunate for marrying, or 
beginning to build a house ; and the gods are better pleased with 
sacrifice offered at certain hours than they are with the same cere¬ 
mony performed at other times. 2 

The ancient Persians were also great astrologers, and held the 
stars in great reverence. They believed and taught that the 
destinies of men were intimately connected with their motions, and 
therefore it was important to know under the influence of what 
star a human soul made its advent into this world. Astrologers 
swarmed throughout the country, and were consulted upon all im¬ 
portant occasions. 3 

The ancient Egyptians were exactly the same in this respect. 
According to Champollion, the tomb of Ramses V., at Thebes, con¬ 
tains tables of the constellations, and of their influence on human 
beings, for every hour of every month of the year. 4 


1 Allen’s India, p. 456. 

3 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 221. 


3 Ibid. p. 2G1. 

* See Kenrick's Egypt, vol. i. p. 456. 




THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM. 


143 


The Buddhists’ sacred books relate that the birth of Buddha 
was announced in the heavens by an asterim which was seen rising 
on the horizon. It is called the “ Messianic star” 1 

The Fo-pen-liing says: 

“The time of Bodhisatwa’s incarnation is, when the constellation Kwei is 
in conjunction with the Sun.” 1 2 

ct Wise men,” known as “ Holy Rishis,” were informed by these 
celestial signs that the Messiah was born. 3 

In the Ramdyana (one of the sacred books of the Hindoos) 
the horoscope of Rama’s birth is given. He is said to have been 
born on the 9th Tithi of the month Caitra. The planet Jupiter 
figured at his birth ; it being in Cancer at that time. 4 * * Rama was 
an incarnation of Yislinu. When Crislina was born u his stars ” 
were to be seen in the heavens. They were pointed out by one 
Hared, a great prophet and astrologer. 8 

Without going through the list, we can say that the birth of 
every Indian Avatar was foretold by celestial signs.* 

The same myth is to be found in the legends of China. Among 
others they relate that a star figured at the birth of Yu, the 
founder of the first dynasty which reigned in China, 7 who—as Ave 
saw in the last chapter—was of heavenly origin, having been born 
of a virgin. It is also said that a star figured at the birth of Laou- 
isze , the Chinese sage. 8 

In the legends of the Jewish patriarchs and prophets, it is 
stated that a brilliant star shone at the time of the birth of Moses. 
It was seen by the Magi of Egypt, who immediately informed the 
king. 9 

AVlien Abraham was born “ his star ” shone in the heavens, if 
we may believe the popular legends, and its brilliancy outshone all 
the other stars. 10 Rabbinic traditions relate the following: 

“ Abraham was the son of Terah, general of Nimrod’s army. He was born 
at Ur of the Chaldees 1948 years after the Creation. On the night of his birth, 
Terah’s friends—among whom were many of Nimrod’s councillors and sooth¬ 
sayers—were feasting in his house. On leaving, late at night, they observed an 
unusual star in the east, it seemed to run from one quarter of the heavens to the 
other, and to devour four stars which were there. All amazed in astonishment 


1 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, pp. 22,23,33. 

2 See Beal : Hist. Buddha, pp. 23, 33, 33. 

3 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 36. 

4 Williams’s Indian Wisdom, p. 347. 

6 See Hist. Hindostan, ii. 336. 

8 See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 5G1. 

For that of Cristina, see Vishnu Purana, book v. 


ch. iii. 7 See Ibid. p. G18. 

8 Thornton : Hist. China, vol. i. p. 137. 

0 See Anac., i. p. 560, and Geikie’s Life of 
Christ, i. 559. 

10 See Ibid., and The Bible for Learners, vol. 
iii p. 72, andCalmet’s Fragments, art. “Abra¬ 
ham.” 



144 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


at this wondrous sight, ‘ Truly,’ said they, ‘ this can signify nothing else but that 
Ter alt’s new-born son will become great and powerful.’ ” l 

It is also related that Nimrod, in a dream, saw a star rising 
above the horizon, which was very brilliant. The soothsayers be¬ 
ing consulted in regard to it, foretold that a child was born who 
would become a great prince. 2 

A brilliant star, which eclipsed all the other stars, was also to be 
seen at the birth of the Caesars ; in fact, as Canon Farrar remarks, 
“ The Greeks and Homans had always considered that the births 
and deaths of great men were symbolized by the appearance and 
disappearance of heavenly bodies, and the same belief has continued 
down to comparatively modern times.” 3 

Tacitus, the Roman historian, speaking of the reign of the Em¬ 
peror Nero, says: 

'“A comet having appeared, in this juncture, the phenomenon, according to 
the popular opinion , announced that governments were to be changed, and kings 
dethroned. In the imaginations of men, Nero was already dethroned, and wdio 
should be his successor was the question.” 4 

According to Moslem authorities, the birth of Ali —Moham¬ 
med’s great disciple, and the chief of one of the two principal sects 
into which Islam is divided—was foretold by celestial signs. “ A 
light was distinctly visible, resembling a bright column, extending 
from the earth to the firmament.” 5 Even during the reisrn of the 
Emperor Hadrian, a hundred years after the time assigned for the 
death of Jesus, a certain Jew who gave himself out as the “Mes¬ 
siah” and headed the last great insurrection of his country, as¬ 
sumed the name of Bar-Cochba — that is, “ Son of a Star.” 6 

This myth evidently extended to the New World, as we find that 
the symbol of Quetzalcoatle, the virgin-born Saviour, was the 
“ Morning Star.”' 

We see, then, that among the ancients there seems to have been 
a very general idea that the birth of a great person would be an¬ 
nounced by a star. The Rev. Hr. Geikie, who maintains to his ut¬ 
most the truth of the Gospel narrative, is yet constrained to admit 
that: 

“It was, indeed, universally believed, that extraordinary events, especially 


1 Baring-Gould : Legends of the Patriarchs, 6 Amberly’s Analysis of Religious Belief n 

p. 149. 227. ’ * 

2 Calmet’s Fragments, art. “ Abraham.” 6 Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 73 . 

s Farrar's Life of Christ, p. 52. 7 Brinton : Myths of the New World, pp. 

4 Tacitus : Annals, bk. xiv. ch. xxii. ISO, 181, and Squire : Serpent Symbol. 





THE STAE OF BETHLEHEM. 


145 


the birth and death of great men, were heralded by appearances of stars, and 
still more of comets, or by conjunctions of the heavenly bodies.” 1 

The whole tenor of the narrative recorded bj the Matthew nar¬ 
rator is the most complete justification of the science of astrology • 
that the first intimation of the birth of the Son of God was given 
to the worshipers of Ormnzd, who have the power of distinguish¬ 
ing with certainty his peculiar star; that from these heathen the 
tidings of his birth are received by the Jews at Jerusalem, and 
therefore that the theory must be right which connects great events 
in the life of men with phenomena in the starry heavens. 

If this divine sanction of astrology is contested on the ground 
that this was an exceptional event, in which, simply to bring the 
Magi to Jerusalem, God caused the star to appear in accordance 
with their superstitious science, the difficulty is only pushed one 
degree backwards, for in this case God, it is asserted, wrought an 
event which was perfectly certain to strengthen the belief of the 
Magi, of Herod, of the Jewish priests, and of the Jews generally, 
in the truth of astrology. 

If, to avoid the alternative, recourse be had to the notion that 
the star appeared by chance , or that this chance or accident di¬ 
rected the Magi aright, is the position really improved ? Is chance 
consistent with any notion of supernatural interposition ? 

We may also ask the question, why were the Magi brought to 
Jerusalem at all ? If they knew that the star which they saw was 
the star of Christ Jesus—as the narrative states' 2 —and were by this 
knowledge conducted to Jerusalem, why did it not suffice to guide 
them straight to Bethlehem , and thus prevent the Slaughter of the 
Innocents? Why did the star desert them after its first appear¬ 
ance, not to be seen again till they issued from Jerusalem? or, if it 
did not desert them, why did they ask of Ilerod and the priests the 
road which they should take, when, by the hypothesis, the star was 
ready to guide them ? 3 

It is said that in the oracles of Zoroaster there is to be found a 
prophecy to the effect that, in the latter days , a virgin would con¬ 
ceive and bear a son, and that, at the time of his birth, a star would 
shine at noonday. Christian divines have seen in this a prophecy 
of the birth of Christ Jesus, but when critically examined, it does 
not stand the test. The drift of the story is this: 

Ormuzd, the Lord of Light, who created the universe in six 
periods of time, accomplished his work by making the first man 


J Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 144. 
2 Matthew, ii. 2. 

10 


3 See Thomas Scott’s English Life of Jesus 
for a full investigation of this subject. 






146 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


and woman, and infusing into them the breath of life. It was not 
long before Ahriman, the evil one, contrived to seduce the first 
parents of mankind by pursuading them to eat of the forbid¬ 
den fruit. Sin and death are now in the world; the principles of 
good and evil are now in deadly strife. Ormuzd then reveals to 
mankind his law through his projdiet Zoroaster; the strife between 
the two principles continues, however, and will continue until the 
end of a destined term. During the last three thousand years of the 
period Ahriman is predominant. The world now hastens to its 
doom ; religion and virtue are nowhere to be found ; mankind are 
plunged in sin and misery. Sosiosh is born of a virgin, and re¬ 
deems them, subdues the Devs, awakens the dead, and holds the 
last judgment. A comet sets the world in flames; the Genii of 
Light combat against the Genii of Darkness, and cast them into 
Duzakh, where Ahriman and the Devs and the souls of the 
wicked are thoroughly cleansed and purified by fire. Ahriman then 
submits to Ormuzd; evil is absorbed into goodness; the un¬ 
righteous, thoroughly purified, are united with the righteous, and a 
new earth and a new heaven arise, free from all evil, where peace 
and innocence will forever dwell. 

Who can fail to see that this virgin-born Sosiosh was to come, 
not eighteen hundred years ago , but, in the“ latter days” when the 
world is to be set on fire by a comet , the judgment to take place, 
and the “ new heaven and new earth ” is to be established ? Who 
can fail to see also, by a perusal of the New Testament, that the 
idea of a temporal Messiah (a mighty king and warrior, who should 
liberate and rule over his people Israel), and the idea of an 
Angel-Messiah (who had come to announce that the “ kingdom of 
heaven was at hand,” that the “ stars should fall from heaven,” 
and that all men would shortly be judged according to their deeds), 
are both jumbled together in a heap ? 






CHAPTER XIY. 

THE SONG OF THE HEAVENLY HOST. 

The story of the Song of the Heavenly Host belongs exclusive¬ 
ly to the Luke narrator, and, in substance, is as follows : 

At the time of the birth of Christ Jesus, there were shepherds 
abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 
And the angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the glory of 
the Lord shone round about them, and the angel said : “I bring 
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for un¬ 
to you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is 
Christ the Lord.” 

And suddenly there was w T ith the angel a multitude of the 
Heavenly Host, praising God in song, saying : “ Glory to God in 
the highest; and on earth peace, good will towards men.” After 
this the angels w^ent into heaven? 

It is recorded in the Vishnu Pur ana? that while the virgin 
Devaki bore Crishna , “ the protector of the world,” in her womb, 
she was eulogized by the gods, and on the day of Crislma’s birth, 
“ the quarters of the horizon were irradiate with joy, as if moonlight 
was diffused over the whole earth.” “ The spirits and the nymphs 
of heaven danced and sang” and, “ at midnight , * * 3 when the support 
of all was born, the clouds emitted low pleasing sounds , and 
poured down rain of flowers?” 

Similar demonstrations of celestial delight were not wanting at 
the birth of Buddha. All beings everywhere were full of joy. 
Music was to be heard all over the land, and, as in the case of 
Crishna, there fell from the skies a gentle shower of flowers and 
perfumes. Caressing breezes blew, and a marvellous light was pro¬ 
duced . 6 


* Luke, ii. 8-15. 4 Vishnu Purana, book v. ch. iii. p. 502. 

*■ Translated from the original Sanscrit by 6 See Ambcrly’s Analysis, p. 22G. Beal: 
H. H. Wilson, M. D., F.R.S. Hist. Buddha, pp. 45, 46, 47, and Bunsen's An- 

3 All the virgin-born Saviours are born at gel-Messiah, p. 35. 

midnight or early dawn. 


147 




14S 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


The Fo-pen-hing relates that: 

“ The attending spirits, who surrounded the Virgin Maya and the infant 
Saviour, singing praises of ‘the Blessed One,’ said: ‘All joy be to you, Queen 
Maya, rejoice and be glad, for the child you have borne is holy.’ Then the 
Risliis and Devas who dwelt on earth exclaimed with great joy: ‘ This day Buddha 
is born for the good of men, to dispel the darkness of their ignorance.’ Then 
the four heavenly kings took up the strain and said: ‘ Now because Bodlii- 
satwa is born, to give joy and bring peace to the world, therefore is there this 
brightness.’ Then the gods of the thirty-three heavens took up the burden of the 
strain, and the Yama Devas and the Tusita Devas, and so forth, through all the 
heavens of the Kama, Rupa, and Arupa worlds, even up to the Akanishta 
heavens, all the Devas joined in this song, and said: ‘ To-day Bodhisatwa is born 
on earth, to give joy and peace to men and Devas, to shed light in the dark places, a nd 
to give sight to the blind. ” l 2 

Even the sober philosopher Confucius did not enter the world, 
if we may believe Chinese tradition, without premonitory symp¬ 
toms of his greatness . 9 

Sir John Francis Davis, speaking of Confucius, says: 

“Various prodigies, as in other instances, were the forerunners of the birth of 
this extraordinary person. Ou the eve of his appearance upon earth, celestial 
music sounded in the cars of his mother; and when he was born, this inscription 
appeared on his breast: ‘ The maker of a rule for setting the World.’ ” 3 

In the case of Osii'is , the Egyptian Saviour, at his birth, a voice 
was heard proclaiming that: “ The Euler of all the Eartli is 
born .” 4 

In Plutarch’s “ Isis ” occurs the following: 

“ At the birth of Osiris, there was heard a voice that the Lord of all the Earth 
was coming in being; and some say that a woman named Pamgle, as she was 
going to carry water to the temple of Ammon, in the city of Thebes, heard that 
voice, which commanded her to proclaim it with a loud voice, that the great 
beneficent god Osiris was born .” 5 

Wonderful demonstrations of delight also attended the birth of 
the heavenly-born Apollonius. According to Flavius Philostratus, 
wdio wrote the life of this remarkable man, a flock of swans sur¬ 
rounded his mother, and clapping their wings, as is their custom, 
they sang in unison, while the air was fanned by gentle breezes. 

When the god Apollo was born of the virgin Latona in the 
Island of Delos, there was joy among the undying gods in Olym¬ 
pus, and the Earth laughed beneath the smile of Heaven . 0 


1 See Beal: Hist. Buddha, pp. 43, 55, 56, 
and Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 35. 

2 See Amberly : Analysis of Religious Be¬ 
lief, p. 84. 

3 Davis : History of China, vol. ii. p. 48. See 

also Thornton : Hist. China, i. 152. 


4 See Prichard’s Egyptian Mythology, p. 56, 
and Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 403. 

6 Bon wick: Egyptian Belief, p. 424, and 
Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 408. 

6 See Tales of Ancient Greece, p. 4. 




TIIE SONG OF THE HEAVENLY HOST. 


149 


At tlie time of tlie birtli of “ Hercules the Saviour ,” liis father 
Zeus, the god of gods, spake from heaven and said: 

“This day shall a child be born of the race of Perseus, -who shall be the 
mightiest of the sons of men .” 1 

When yEsculajpius was a helpless infant, and when he was 
about to be put to death, a voice from the god Apollo was heard, 
saying: 

“ Slay not the child with the mother; he is born to do great things ; but bear 
him to the wise centaur Cheiron, and bid him train the boy in all his wisdom and 
teach him to do brave deeds, that men may praise his name in the generations 
that shall be hereafter .” 2 

As we stated above, the story of the Song of the Heavenly Host 
belongs exclusively to the Luke narrator; none of the other writers 
of the synoptic Gospels know anything about it, which, if it really 
happened, seems very strange. 

If the reader will turn to the apocryphal Gospel called Prote- 
vangelion ” (chapter xiii.), he will there see one of the reasons why 
it was thought best to leave this Gospel out of the canon of the 
Hew Testament. It relates the “ Miracles at Mary’s labor,” simi¬ 
lar to the Luke narrator, but in a still more wonderful form. It 
is probably from this apocryphal Gospel that the Luke narrator 
copied. 


: See Tales of Ancient Greece, p. 55. 


* Ibid. p. 45. 




CHAPTER XV. 


THE DIVINE CHILD RECOGNIZED AND PRESENTED WITH GIFTS. 

The next in order of the wonderful events which are related 
to have happened at the birth of Christ Jesus, is the recognition 
of the divine child, and the presentation of gifts. 

"VVe are informed by the Matthew narrator, that being guided 
by a star, the Magi 1 from the east came to where the young child 
was. 

“ And when they were come into the liousc (not stable ) they saw the young 
child, with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. And when 
they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, frankin¬ 
cense, and myrrh .” 2 

The Luke narrator—who seems to know nothing about the 
Magi from the east—informs us that shepherds came and wor¬ 
shiped the young child. They were keeping their flocks by 
night when the angel of the Lord appeared before them, saying: 

“Behold, I bring you good tidings—for unto you is born this day in the city 
of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” 

After the angel had left them, they said one to another: 

“Let us go unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which 
the Lord hath made known to us. And they came with haste, and found Mary 
and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger”* 

The Luke narrator evidently borrowed this story of the 
shepherds from the “ Gospel of the Egyptians ” (of which we 
shall speak in another chapter), or from other sacred records of the 
biographies of Crishna or Buddha. 

It is related in the legends of Crishna that the divine child 


1 “ The original word here is ‘ Magoi ,’ from 
which comes our word * Magician .’ . . . 
The persons here denoted were philosophers, 
priests, or astronomers. They dwelt chiefly in 
Persia and Arabia. They were the learned men 
of the Eastern nations, devoted to astronomy. 

150 


to religion, and to medicine. They were held 
in high esteem by the Persian court; were ad¬ 
mitted as councilors, and followed the camps 
in war to give advice.” (Barnes’s Notes, vol. 
i. p. 25.) 

2 Matthew, ii. 2.11 a Luke, ii. 8-1G. 





THE DIVINE CHILD RECOGNIZED. 


151 


was cradled among shepherds, to whom were first made known 
the stupendous feats which stamped his character with marks of 
the divinity. He was recognized as the promised Saviour by 
Handa, a shepherd, or cowherd, and his companions, who pros¬ 
trated themselves before the lieaven-born child. After the birth of 
Crishna, the Indian prophet Hared, having heard of his fame, 
visited his father and mother at Gokool, examined the stars, Ac., 
and declared him to be of celestial descent . 1 

Hot only was Crishna adored by the shepherds and Magi, and 
received with divine honors , but he was also presented with gifts. 
These gifts were “sandal wood and perfumes .” 2 (Why not “frank¬ 
incense and myrrh?”) 

Similar stories are related of the infant Buddha. Godfrey 
Higgins, speaking of him, says: 

“Buddha, at his birth, was visited by a prophet (Asita) and icise men who 
recognized in this marvelous infant all the characters of the divinity, and he 
had scarcely seen the day before he was hailed God of Gods.” 3 

“ ’Mongst the strangers came 
A grey-haired saint, Asita, one whose ears, 

Long closed to earthly things, caught heavenly sounds, 

And heard at prayer beneath his peepul-tree, 

The Devas singing songs at Buddha’s birth.” 

Viscount Amberly, speaking of him, says : 4 

“ He was visited and adored by a very eminent Ilishi, or hermit, known a3 
Asita, who predicted his future greatness, but wept at the thought that he him¬ 
self was too old to see the day when the law of salvation would be taught by the 
infant whom he had come to contemplate.” 

“ I weep (said Asita), because I am old and stricken in years, and shall not see 
all that is about to come to pass. The Buddha Bhagavat (God Almighty 
Buddha) comes to the world only after many kalpas. This bright boy will be 
Buddha. For the salvation of the world he will teach the law. lie will succor 
the old, the sick, the afflicted, the dying. He will release those who are bound in 
the meshes of natural corruption. He will quicken the spiritual vision of those 
whose eyes are darkened by the thick darkness of ignorance. Hundreds of 
thousands of millions of beings will be carried by him to the ‘ other shore ’— 
will put on immortality. And I shall not see this perfect Buddha—this is why 
I weep.” 5 

He returns rejoicing, however, to his mountain-home, for his 
eyes had seen the promised and expected Saviour . 6 

Paintings in the cave of A junta represent Asita with the 


1 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. pp. 129, 130, 
and Maurice : Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. pp. 256, 
257 and 317. Also, The Vishnu Purana. 

2 Oriental Religions, pp. 500, 501. See also, 
Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 353. 

3 Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 157. 


4 Amberly’s Analysis, p. 177, See also, Bun¬ 
sen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 36. 

6 Lillie : Buddha and Early Buddhism, p. 76. 
8 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 6, and Beal : 
Hist. Buddha, pp. 58, 00. 



152 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


infant Buddha in liis arms. 1 The marvelous gifts of this child 
had become known to this eminent ascetic by supernatural signs * 

Buddha, as w r ell as Crishna and Jesus, was presented with a costly 
jewels and precious substances.” 3 (Why not gold and perfumes?) 

Itama —the seventh incarnation of Vishnu for human deliver¬ 
ance from evil—is also Bailed by u aged saints ”—(why not “ wise 
men ” ?)—who die gladly when their eyes see the long-expected 
one. 4 

How-tseich , who was one of those personages styled, in China, 
“ Tien-Tse,” or u Sons of Heaven,” 6 7 and who came into the world 
in a miraculous manner, was laid in a narrow lane. When his 
mother had fulfilled her time : 

“ Her first-born son (came forth) like a lamb. 

There was no bursting, no rending, 

Xo injury, no hurt— 

Showing how wonderful he would be.” 

"When born, the sheep and oxen protected him with loving 
care. 8 

The birth of Conf ucius (b. c. 551), like that of all the demi¬ 
gods and saints of antiquity, is fabled to have been attended with 
allegorical prodigies, amongst which was the appearance of the 
Ke-lin , a miraculous quadruped, prophetic of happiness and virtue, 
which announced that the child would be “ a king without a throne or 
territory.” Five celestial sages , or “ wise menf entered the house 
at the time of the child's birth , whilst vocal and instrumental 
music filled the air.’’ 

Mithras , the Persian Saviour, and mediator between God and 
man, was also visited by “ wise men ” called Magi, at the time of 
his birth. 8 He was presented with gifts consisting of gold, frank¬ 
incense and myrrh. 9 

According to Plato, at the birth of Socrates (469 b. c.) there 
came three Magi from the east to worship him, bringing gifts of 
gold, frankincense and myrrh. 10 

JEsculagnus , the virgin-born Saviour, was protected by goat¬ 
herds (why not shepherds ?), who, upon seeing the child, knew at 
once that he was divine. The voice of fame soon published the 


1 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 3G. 

2 See Amberly’s Analysis, p. 231, and Bun¬ 
sen's Angel Messiah, p. 36. 

8 Beal : Hist. Buddha, p. 58. 

4 Oriental Religions, p. 491. 

6 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 200. 


6 See Amberly’s Analysis of Religious Be¬ 
lief, p. 226. 

7 See Thornton’s Hist. China, vol. i. p. 152. 

8 King • The Gnostics and their Remains, 
pp. 134 and 149. 

9 Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 353. 

10 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 96. 




THE DIVINE CHILD RECOGNIZED. 


153 


birth of this miraculous infant, upon which people flocked from all 
quarters to behold and worship this lieaven-born child. 1 

Many of the Grecian and Roman demi-gods and heroes were 
either fostered by or worshiped by shepherds. Amongst these may 
be mentioned Bacchus , who was educated among shepherds, 2 and 
Romulus , who was found on the banks of the Tiber, and educated 
by shepherds. 3 Paris , son of Priam, was educated among shep¬ 
herds, 4 and BEgisthus was exposed, like Aesculapius, by his mother, 
found by shepherds and educated among them. 3 

Viscount Amberly has well said that: “Prognostications of 
greatness in infancy are, indeed, among the stock incidents in the 
mythical or semi-mytliical lives of eminent persons.” 

We have seen that the Matthew narrator speaks of the infant 
Jesus, and Mary, his mother, being in a “house ”—implying that 
he had been born there ; and that the Luke narrator speaks of the 
infant “ lying in a manger ”—implying that he was born in a stable. 
We will now show that there is still another story related of the 
place in which he was born. 


1 Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 150. Roman Anti- 3 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 213. 
quities, p. 13G, and Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 4 Ibid. vol. i. p. 47. 

27. 5 Ibid. p. 20. 

9 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 322. 



CHAPTER XVI. 


THE BIRTH-PLACE OF CHRIST JESUS. 

The writer of that portion of the Gospel according to Matthew 
which treats of the place in which Jesus w r as born, implies, as we 
stated in our last chapter, that he was born in a house. His words 
are these : 

“Now wlien Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the 
king, behold, there came wise men from the east ” to worship him. “ And when 
they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother.” 1 

The writer of the Luke version implies that he was born in a 
stable , as the following statement will show: 

“ The days being accomplished that she (Mary) should be delivered . . . 
she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and 
laid him in a manger, there being no room for him in the inn”' 2 

If these accounts were contained in these Gospels in the time of 
Eusebius, the first ecclesiastical historian, who flourished during the 
Council of Nice (a. d. 327), it is very strange that, in speaking of 
the birth of Jesus, he should have omitted even mentioning them, 
and should have given an altogether different version. He tells us 
that Jesus was neither born in a house , nor in a stable , but in a 
cave , and that at the time of Constantine a magnificent temple was 
erected on the spot, so that the Christians might worship in the 
place where their Saviour’s feet had stood. 3 

In the apocryphal Gospel called “ Protevangelion ,” attributed to 
James, the brother of Jesus, we are informed that Mary and her 
husband, being away from their home in Nazareth, and when with¬ 
in three miles of Bethlehem, to which city they were going, Mary 
said to Joseph: 

“Take me down from the ass, for that which is ip me presses to come 
forth.” 


1 Matthew, ii. a Eusebius's Life of Constantine, lib. 3, chs 

2 Luke, ii. xl. f xli. and xlii. 

154 




THE BIRTH-PLACE OF CHRIST JESUS. 


155 


Joseph, replying, said : 

** Whitlier shall I take thee, for the 'place is desert? ” 

Then said Mary again to Joseph : 

“Take me down, for that which is within me mightily presses me.” 

Joseph then took her down from off the ass, and he found there 
a cave and put her into it. 

Joseph then left Mary in the cave, and started toward Bethle¬ 
hem for a midwife, whom he found and brought back with him. 
When they neared the spot a bright cloud overshadowed the cave. 

“But on a sudden the cloud became a great light in the care, so their eyes 
could not bear it. But the light gradually decreased, until the infant appeared 
and sucked the breast of his mother.” 1 

Tertullian (a. d. 200), Jerome (a. d. 375) and other Fathers of 
the Church, also state that Jesus was born in a cave, and that the 
heathen celebrated, in their day, the birth and Mysteries of their 
Lord and Saviour Adonis in this very cave near Bethlehem. 2 

Canon Farrar says: 

“That the actual place of Christ’s birth was a cave, is a very ancient tradi¬ 
tion, and this cave used to be shown as the scene of the event even so early as 
the time of Justin Martyr (a. d. 150). ” 3 

Mr. King says: 

“The place yet shown as the scene of their (the Magi’s) adoration at Bethle¬ 
hem is a cave .” 4 

The Christian ceremonies in the Church of the Nativity at 
Bethlehem are celebrated to this day in a cave? and are undoubt¬ 
edly nearly the same as were celebrated, in the same place, in 
honor of Adonis , in the time of Tertullian and Jerome; and as 
are yet celebrated in Borne every Christmas-day, very early in 
the morning. 

We see, then, that there are three different accounts concerning 
tli a place in which Jesus was born. The first, and evidently true 
one, was that which is recorded b} r the Matthew narrator, namely, 
that he was born in a house. The stories about his being born in 
a stable or in a cave 6 were later inventions, caused from the desire 
to place him in as humble a position as possible in his infancy, and 
from the fact that the virgin-born Saviours who had preceded 


1 Protevangelion. Apoc. chs. xii., xiii.,and 
xiv., and Lily of Israel, p. 95. 

2 See Higgins: Auacalypsis, vol. ii. pp. 98, 
99. 

3 Farrar’s Life of Christ, p. 38, and note. 

See also, Hist. Hindostan, ii. 311. 


4 King : The Gnostics and their Remains, 
p. 134. 

6 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 95. 

6 Some writers have tried to connect these 
by saying that it was a cave-stable, but why 
should a stable be in a desert place , as the nar¬ 
rative states ? 




156 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


him had almost all been born in a position the most humiliating 
—such as a cave, a cow-shed, a sheep-fold, &c.—or had been 
placed there after birth. This was a part of the universal mythos. 
As illustrations we may mention the following: 

Crishna , the Hindoo virgin-born Saviour, was born in a cave, 1 
fostered by an honest herdsman , 2 and, it is said, placed in a sheep- 
fold shortly after his birth. 

IIoiv-Tseih , the Chinese “ Son of Heaven,” when an infant, 
was left unprotected by his mother, but the sheep and oxen pro¬ 
tected him with loving care. 3 

Abraham , the Father of Patriarchs, is said to have been born 
in a cave . 4 

Bacchus , who was the son of God by the virgin Semele, is said 
to have been born in a cave , or placed in one shortly after his 
birth. 5 Philostratus, the Greek sophist and rhetorician, says, “ the 
inhabitants of India had a tradition that Bacchus was born at JVisa , 
and was brought up in a cave on Mount Meros.” 

HJsculapius , who was the son of God by the virgin Coronis, 
was left exposed, wdien an infant, on a mountain, where he was 
found and cared for by a goatherd . 6 * 

Romulus , who was the son of God by the virgin Bhea-Sylvia, 
was left exposed, when an infant, on the banks of the river Tiber, 
where he was found and cared for by a shepherd. 1 

Adonis , the “ Lord ” and “ Saviour,” was placed in a cave 
shortly after his birth. 8 

Apollo (Phoibos), son of the Almighty Zeus, was born in a 
cave at early dawn. 9 

Mithras , the Persian Saviour, was born in a cave or grotto f at 
early dawn. 

Ilermes , the son of God by the mortal Maia , was born 
early in the morning, in a cave or grotto of the Kyllemian hill. 11 

Attys , the god of the Phrygians, 12 was born in a cave or grotto. 19 

The object is the same in all of these stories, however they may 
differ in detail, which is to place the heaven-born infant in the 
most humiliating position in infancy. 

We have seen it is recorded that, at the time of the birth 


1 Aryan Myths, vol. ii. p. 107. 

2 See Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 259. 

3 See Amberly’s Analysis, p. 223. 

4 Sec Calmet’s Fragments, art. “ Abraham.” 

6 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 321. 

Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 118, and Dupuis, p. 

231. 

0 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 150, and Bell’s 

Pantheon under “iSsculapius.” 


7 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 213. 

8 See Ibid. vol. i. p. 12. 

9 Aryan Mythology, vol. i. pp. 72, 158. 

See Dunlap’s Mysteries of Adoni, p. 124, 
and Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 134. 

11 Ibid. 

1 2 See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Beliefs, 
p. 255. 

1 3 See Dunlap’s Mysteries of Adoni, p. 124. 




THE BIRTH-PLACE OF CHRIST JESUS. 


157 


of Jesus “there was a great light in the cave, so that the eyes of 
Joseph and the midwife could not bear it.” This feature is also 
represented in early Christian art. “ Early Christian painters liavo 
represented the infant Jesus as welcoming three Kings of the 
East, and shining as brilliantly as if covered with phosphurctted 
oil.’ 1 In all pictures of the Nativity, the light is made to arise 
from the body of the infant, and the father and mother are often 
depicted with glories round their heads. This too was a part of 
the old mythos, as we shall now see. 

The moment Crishna was born, his mother became beautiful, 
and her form brilliant. The whole cave was splendidly illumina¬ 
ted, being filled with a heavenly light , and the countenances of his 
father and his mother emitted rays of glory. 2 

So likewise, it is recorded that, at the time of the birth of 
Buddha, “the Saviour of the World,” which, according to one 
account, took place in an inn, “ a divine light diffused around his 
person ,” so that “the Blessed One” was “heralded into the world 
by a supernatural light.” 3 

When Bacchus was born, a bright light shone round him, 4 so 
that, “ there was a brilliant light in the cave” 

When Apollo was born, a halo of serene light encircled his 
cradle , the nymphs of heaven attended, and bathed him in pure 
water, and girded a broad golden band around his form. 5 

When the Saviour MJsculapjius was born, his countenance shone 
like the sun, and he was surrounded by a fiery ray. 6 

In the life of Zoroaster the common mythos is apparent. lie 
was born in innocence of an immaculate conception of a Ray of 
the Divine Reason. As soon as he was born, the glory arising 
from his body enlightened the whole room , and he laughed at his 
mother. 7 

It is stated in the legends of the Hebrew Patriarchs that, at 
the birth of Moses , a bright light appeared and shone around. 8 

There is still another feature which we must notice in these 
narratives, that is, the contradictory statements concerning the time 
when Jesus was born. As we shall treat of this subject more fully 
in the chapter on “The Birthday of Christ Jesus,” we shall 
allude to it here simply as far as necessary. 


1 Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 460. 

2 Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 133. 
Iliggins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 130. See also, 
Vishnu Parana, p. 503, where it says: 

“ No person could bear to gaze upon Devaki 
from the light that invested her.” 

3 See Beal : Hist. Buddha, pp. 43, 46, or 

Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, pp. 34, 35. 


4 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 322, 
and Dupuis : Origin of Relig. Belief, p. 119. 

5 Tales of Anct. Greece, p. xviii. 

6 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 27. Roman An¬ 
tiquities, p. 136. 

7 Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 460. 
Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 649. 

8 See Hardy : Manual of Buddhism, p. 145. 





158 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The Matthew narrator informs us that Jesus was born in tlie 
days of Ilerod the King , and the Luke narrator says he was born 
when Cyrenius was Governor of Syria, or later. This is a very 
awkward and unfortunate statement, as Cyrenius was not Governor 
of Syria until some ten years after the time of Herod fl 

The cause of this dilemma is owing to the fact that the Luke 
narrator, after having interwoven into his story, of the birth of 
Jesus, the old myth of the tax or tribute, which is said to have 
taken place at the time of the birth of some previous virgin-born 
Saviours, looked among the records to see if a taxing had ever 
taken place in Judea, so that he might refer to it in support of his 
statement. He found the account of the taxing, referred to above, 
and without stopping to consider when this taxing took place, or 
whether or not it would conflict with the statement that Jesus was 
born in the days of Herod , he added to his narrative the words: 
“ And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of 
Syria.” 1 2 

We will now show the ancient myth of the taxing. Accord¬ 
ing to the Vishnu Purana , when the infant Saviour Crishna was 
born, his foster-father, Nanda , had come to the city to pay his tax 
or yearly tribute to the king. It distinctly speaks of Nanda, and 
other cowherds, “ bringing tribute or tax to Kansa ” the reigning 
monarch. 3 * * 

It also describes a scene which took place after the taxes had 
been paid. 

Yasudeva, an acquaintance of Nanda’s, “ went to the wagon of 
Nanda, and found Nanda there, rejoicing that a son (Crishna) had 
been born to him. 

“ Yasudeva spoke to him kindly, and congratulated him on hav¬ 
ing a son in his old age.' 

“ ‘ Thy yearly tribute,’ he added, ‘ has been paid to the king . . . 
why do you delay, now that your affairs are settled? Up, Nanda, 
quickly, and set off to your own pastures.’ . . . Accordingly 

Nanda and the other cowherds returned to their village.” 6 

c"> 

Now, in regard to Buddha , the same myth is found. 

Among the thirty-two signs which were to be fulfilled by the 
mother of the expected Messiah (Buddha), the fifth sign was re¬ 
corded to be, “ that she would be on a journey at the time of her 


1 See the chapter on “ Christmas.” 

2 It maybe that this verse was added by 

another hand some time after the narrative was 

written. We have seen it stated somewhere 

that, in the manuscript, this verse is in brackets. 


3 See Vishnu Purana, book v. chap. iii. 

4 Here is an exact counterpart to the story 
of Joseph—the foster-father, 6o-called—of 
Jesus. He too, had a son in his old age. 

6 Vishnu Purana, book v. chap. v. 




TIIE BIRTH-PLACE OF CHRIST JESUS. 


159 


child?s birth” Therefore, “that it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken by the prophets,” the virgin Maya, in the tenth month 
after her heavenly conception, was on a journey to her father, 
when lo, the birth of the Messiah took place under a tree. One 
account says that “ she had alighted at an inn when Buddha was 
born.” 1 

The mother of Lao-tsze , the Virgin-born Chinese sage, was 
away from home when her child was born. She stopped to rest 
under a tree , and there, like the virgin Maya, gave birth to her 
son. 2 

Pythagoras (b. c. 570), whose real father was the Holy Ghost,* 
was also bom at a time when his mother was away from home on 
a journey. ' She was travelling with her husband, who was about 
his mercantile concerns , from Samos to Sid on. 4 

Apollo was born when his mother was away from home. The 
Ionian legend tells the simple tale that Leto, the mother of the 
unborn Apollo, could find no place to receive her in her hour of 
travail until she came to Delos. The child was born like Buddha 
and Lao-tsze— under a tree? The mother knew that he was des¬ 
tined to be a being of mighty power, ruling among the undying 
gods and mortal men.® 

Thus we see that the stories, one after another, relating to the 
birth and infancy of Jesus, are simply old myths, and are therefore 
not historical. 


1 Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. 34. See 
also, Beal : Hist. Buddha, p. 32, and Lillie: 
Buddha and Early Buddhism, p. 73. 

2 Thornton : Hist. China, i. 138. 


* As we saw in Chapter XII. 

4 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol, i. p. 150. 
6 Sec Rhys David’s Buddhism, p. 26. 

• See Cox : Aryan Myths, vol. ii. p. 21. 



CHAPTER XVII. 


THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST JESHS. 

The biographers of Jesus, although they have placed him in a 
position the most humiliating in his infancy, and although they 
have given him poor and humble parents, have notwithstanding 
made him to be of royal descent. The reasons for doing this 
were twofold. First, because, according to the Old Testament, the 
expected Messiah was to be of the seed of Abraham, 1 and second, 
because the Angel-Messiahs who had previously been on earth to 
redeem and save mankind had been of royal descent , therefore 
Christ Jesus must be so. 

The following story, taken from Colebrooke’s “Miscellaneous 
Essays ,” 2 clearly shows that this idea was general: 

“The last of the Jinas, Vardhamana, was at first coneeived by Devananda, a 
Brahmana. The conception was announced to her by a dream. Sekra, being 
apprised of his incarnation, prostrated himself and worshiped the future 
saint (who was in the womb of Devananda); but reflecting that no great saint was 
ever born in an indigent or mendicant family, as that of a Brahmana, Sekra com¬ 
manded his chief attendant to remove the child from the womb of Devananda to 
that of Trisala, wife of Siddhartha, a prince of the race of Jesicaca, of the Kasyapa 
family.” 

In their attempts to accomplish their object, the biographers 
of Jesus have made such poor work of it, that all the ingenuity 
Christianity has yet produced, has not been able to repair their 
blunders. 

The genealogies are contained in the first and third Gospels, 
and although they do not agree, yet, if either is right, then Jesus 
was not the son of God, engendered by the “ Holy Ghost,” but the 
legitimate son of Joseph and Mary. In any other sense they 
amount to nothing. That Jesus can be of royal descent, and yet 


1 That is, a passage in the Old Testament 
was construed to mean this, although another 
and more plausible meaning might be inferred. 
It is when Abraham is blessed by the Lord, 

1G0 


who is made to say : “ In thy seed shall all the 
nations of the earth be blessed, because thou 
hast obeyed my voice.” (.Genesis, xxii. 18.) 

2 Vol. ii. p. 214. 






THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST JESUS. 161 

be the Son of God, in the sense in which these words‘are used, is a 
conclusion which can be acceptable to those only who believe in 
alleged historical narratives on no other ground than that they wish 
them to be true, and dare not call them into question. 

The Matthew narrator states that all the generations from 
Abraham to David are fourteen , from David until the carrying 
away into Babylon ar o, fourteen, and from the carrying away into 
Babylon unto Jesus are fourteen generations. 1 Surely nothing can 
have a more mythological appearance than this. But, when we 
confine our attention to the genealogy itself, we find that the gen¬ 
erations in the third stage, including Jesus himself, amount to only 
thirteen. All attempts to get over this difficulty have been with¬ 
out success; the genealogies are, and have always been, hard nuts 
for theologians to crack. Some of the early Christian fathers 
saw this, and they very wisely put an allegorical interpretation to 
them. 

Dr. South says, in Kitto’s Biblical Encyclopaedia : 

“ Christ’s being the true Messiah depends upon his being the son of David 
and king of the Jews. So that unless this be evinced the whole foundation of 
Christianity must totter and fall. ” 

Another writer in the same work says: 

“ In these two documents (Matthew and Luke), which profess to give us the 
genealogy of Christ, there is no notice whatever of the connection of his only 
earthly parent with the stock of David. On the contrary, both the genealogies 
profess to give us the descent of Joseph, to connect our Lord with whom by 
natural generation, would be to falsify the whole story of his miraculous birth, 
and overthrow the Christian faith.” 

Again, when the idea that one of the genealogies is Mary’s is 
spoken of: 

“ One thing is certain, that our belief in Mary’s descent from David is 
grounded on inference and tradition and not on any direct statement of the 
sacred writings. And there has been a ceaseless endeavor, both among ancients 
and moderns, to gratify the natural cravings for knowledge on this subject.” 

Thomas Scott, speaking of the genealogies, says: 

“It is a favorite saying with those who seek to defend the history of the 
Pentateuch against the scrutiny of modern criticism, that the objections urged 
against it were known long ago. The objections to the genealogy were known 
long ago, indeed; and perhaps nothing shows more conclusively than this knowl¬ 
edge, the disgraceful dishonesty and willful deception of the most illustrious of 
Christian doctors.” 2 


i Matthew, i. 17. 

11 


l 


3 Scott’s Enslish Life of Jesus. 




162 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Referring to tlie two genealogies, Albert Barnes says : 

“ No two passages of Scripture have caused more difficulty than these, and 
various attempts have been made to explain them. . . . Most interpreters 

have supposed that Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph, and Luke that of 
Mary. But though this solution is plausible and may be true, yet it wants 
evidence. ” 

Barnes furthermore admits the fallibility of the Bible in his 
remarks upon the genealogies; 1st, by comparing them to our 
fallible family records; and 2d, by the remark that “ the only 
inquiry which can now be fairly made is whether they copied these 
tables correctly .” 

Alford, Ellicott, Ilervey, Meyer, Mill, Patritius and Words¬ 
worth hold that both genealogies are Joseph’s ; and Aubertin, 
Ebrard, Greswell, Kurtz, Lange, Lightfoot and others, hold that 
one is Joseph’s, and the other Mary’s. 

When the genealogy contained in Matthew is compared with 
the Old Testament they are found to disagree • there are omissions 
which any writer with the least claim to historical sense would 
never have made. 

When the genealogy of the third Gospel is turned to, the 
difficulties greatly increase, instead of diminish. It not only 
contradicts the statements made by the Matthew narrator, but it 
does not asree with the Old Testament. 

O 

What, according to the three first evangelists , did Jesus think 
of himself? In the first place he made no allusion to any miracu¬ 
lous circumstances connected with his birth. lie looked upon him¬ 
self as belonging to Nazareth , not as the child of Bethlehem; 1 he 
reproved the scribes for teaching that the Messiah must necessarily 
be a descendant of David * and did riot himself make any express 
claim to such descent . 3 

As w T e cannot go into an extended inquiry concerning the 
genealogies, and as there is no real necessity for so doing, as many 
others have already done so in a masterly manner, 4 we will con¬ 
tinue our investigations in another direction, and show that Jesus 
was not the only Messiah who was claimed to be of royal descent. 


* Matthew, xiii. 54; Luke, iv. 24. 

2 Mark,*n. 35. 

3 “There is no doubt that the authors of 
the genealogies regarded him (Jesus), as did 
his countrymen and contemporaries generally, 
as the eldest son of Joseph, Mary’s husband, 
and that they had no idea of anything miracu¬ 
lous connected with his birth. All the attempts 
of the old commentators to reconcile the in¬ 


consistencies of the evangelical narratives are 
of no avail.” (Albert lteville : Hist. Dogma. 
Deity, Jesus, p. 15.) 

4 The reader is referred to Thomas Scott's 
English Life of Jesus, Strauss's Life of Jesus, 
The Genealogies of Our Lord, by Lord Arthur 
Hervey, Kilto's Biblical Encyclopaedia, and 
Barnes’ Notes. 




THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST JESUS. 


163 


To commence with Crishna , the Hindoo Saviour, he was of 
royal descent , although born in a state the most abject and 
humiliating. 1 2 Thomas Maurice says of him : 

“ Crishna, in the male line, was of royal descent, being of the Yadava line, 
the oldest and noblest of India; and nephew, by his mother's side, to the reigning 
sovereign; but, though royally descended, he was actually born in a state the 
most abject and humiliating; and, though not in a stable, yet in a dungeon.” 5 

Buddha was of royal descent , having descended from the 
house of Sakya, the most illustrious of the caste of Brahmans, which 
reigned in India over the powerful empire of Mogadha, in the 
Southern Bahr. 3 * 

R. Spence Hardy says, in his “ Manual of Buddhism :” 

“ The ancestry of Gotama Buddha is traced from his father, Sodhodana, 
through various individuals and races, all of royal dignity, to Maha Sammata, 
the first monarch of the world. Several of the names, and some of the events, 
are met with in the Puranas of the Brahmins, but it is not possible to reconcile 
one order of statement with the other; and it would appear that the Buddhist 
historians have introduced races, and invented names, that they may invest their 
venerated sage with all the honors of heraldry, in addition to the attributes of 
divinity.” 

How remarkably these words compare with what we have 
just seen concerning the genealogies of Jesus! 

Rama , another Indian avatar —the seventh incarnation of 
"Vishnu—was also of royal descent .* 

Fo-hi • or Fuh-he, the virgin-born “Son of Heaven,” was of 
royal descent. He belonged to the oldest family of monarchs who 
ruled in China. 6 

Conf ucius was of royal descent. His pedigree is traced back 
in a summary manner to the monarch Iloang-ty , who is said to 
have lived and ruled more than two thousand years before the time 
of Christ Jesus. 6 

Horus , the Egyptian virgin-born Saviour, was of royal de¬ 
scent , having descended from a line of kings. 7 He had the title 
of “ Royal Good Shepherd.” 8 

Hercules , the Saviour, was of royal descent . 9 


1 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 130. 
Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 259, and Allen’s 
India, p. 379. 

2 nist. Hindostan, ii. p. 310. 

3 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 157. 

Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah. Davis : Hist, of 

China, vol. ii. p. 80, and Hue’s Travels, vol. i. 

p. 327. 

* Allen’s India, p. 379. 


6 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 200, and 
Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Fuh-he.” 

6 Davis : History of China, vol. ii. p. 48, and 
Thornton : Hist. China, vol. i. p. 151. 

7 See almost any work on Egyptian history 
or the religions of Egypt. 

8 See Lundy : Monumental Christianity, p. 
403. 

9 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 152. Roman An¬ 
tiquities, p. 124, and Bell’s Pantheon, i. 382. 




164 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Bacchus , although the Son of God, was of royal descent .* 
Perseus , son of the virgin Danae, was of royal descent . a 
^ Bsculapius , the great performer of miracles, although a son of 
God, was notwithstanding of descent , 1 * 3 

Many more such cases might be mentioned, as may be seen by 
referring to the histories of the virgin-born gods and demi-gods 
spoken of in Chapter XII. 


1 See Greek and Italian Mythology, p. 81. Bulfinch : The Age of Fable, p. 161. 

Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 117. Murray: Man- s See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 27. Roman 
ual of Mythology, p. 118, and Roman Antiqui- Antiquities, p. 136, and Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 
ties, p. 71. 150. 

a See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 170, and 




CHAPTER XVIII. 


THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS. 

Interwoven with the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus, 
the star, the visit of the Magi, &c., we have a myth which belongs 
to a common form, and which, in this instance, is merely adapted 
to the special circumstances of the age and place. This has been 
termed “ the myth of the dangerous child.” Its general outline 
is this: A child is born concerning whose future greatness some 
prophetic indications have been given. But the life of the child 
is fraught with danger to some powerful individual, generally a 
monarch. In alarm at his threatened fate, this person endeavors 
to take the child’s life, but it is preserved by divine care. 

Escaping the measures directed against it, and generally re¬ 
maining long unknown, it at length fulfills the prophecies con¬ 
cerning its career, while the fate which he has vainly sought to 
shun falls upon him who had desired to slay it. There is a de- < 
parture from the ordinary type, in the case of Jesus, inasmuch as 
Herod does not actually die or suffer any calamity through his 
agency. But this failure is due to the fact that Jesus did not 
fulfill the conditions of the Messiahship, according to the Jewish 
conception which Matthew has here in mind. Had he—as was 
expected of the Messiah—become the actual sovereign of the Jews, 
he must have dethroned the reigning dynasty, whether repre¬ 
sented by Herod or his successors. But as his subsequent career 
belied the expectations, the evangelist w T as obliged to postpone to 
a future time his accession to that throne of temporal dominion 
which the incredulity of his countrymen had withheld from him 
during his earthly life. 

The story of the slaughter of the infants which is said to have 
taken place in Judea about the time of the birth of Jesus, is to bo 
found in the second chapter of Matthew , and is as follows: 

“ When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the 
king, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying: ‘Where is he 

165 


# 


166 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


that is born king of the Jews ? for we have seen his star in the East and have 
come to worship him.’ When Herod the king had heard these things, he was 
troubled and all Jerusalem with him. Then Herod, when he had privately 
called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said: ‘ Go and search diligently for the 
young child; aud when ye have found him, bring me word.’ ” 

The wise men went to Bethlehem and found the young child, 
but instead of returning to Herod as he had told them, they de¬ 
parted into their own country another way, having been warned of 
God in a dream that they should not return to Herod. 

“ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was ex¬ 
ceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, 
and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under.” 

We have in this story, told by the Matthew narrator—which 
the writers of the other gospels seem to know nothing about,— 
almost a counterpart, if not an exact one, to that related of Crishna 
of India, which shows how closely the mythological history of Jesus 
has been copied from that of the Hindoo Saviour. 

Joguth Chunder Gangooly, a “Hindoo convert to Christ,” tells 
us, in his “ Life and Religion of the Hindoos,” that: 

“ A heavenly mice whispered to the foster father of Crishna and told him to 
fly with the child across the river Jumna, which was immediately done. 1 This 
was owing to the fact that the reigning monarch, King Kansa, sought the life of 
the infant Saviour, and to accomplish his purpose, he sent messengers ‘ to kill all 
the infants in the neighboring places .’ ” 2 

Mr. Higgins says: 

“ Soon after Crishna’s birth he was carried away by night and concealed in a 
region remote from his natal place, for fear of a tyrant whose destroyer it was 
foretold he would become; and who had, for that reason, ordered all the male 
children born at that period to be slain.” 3 

Sir William Jones says of Crislma : 

“ He passed a life, according to the Indians, of a most extraordinary and in¬ 
comprehensible nature. His birth was concealed through fear of the reigning 
tyrant Kansa, who, at the time of his birth, ordered all new-born males to be slain, 
yet this wonderf ul babe was preserved.”** 

In the Sanscrit Dictionary, compiled more than two thousand 
years ago, we have the whole story of this incarnate deity, born of 
a virgin, and miraculously escaping in his infancy from the reign¬ 
ing tyrant of his country. 


1 A heavenly voice whispered to the foster- 
father of Jesus, aud told him to fly with the 
child into Egypt, which was immediately done, 
(See Matthew, ii. 13.) 

2 Life and Relig. of the Hindoos, p. 134. 


See also, Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. pp. 61-04. 

3 Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. l£9 See, also, Cox : 
Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 134, and Maurice : 
nist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 331 . 

4 Asiatic Researches, vol. i. pp. 273 aud 239. 




THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS. 


167 


Representations of this flight with the babe at midnight are 
sculptured on the Avails of ancient Hindoo temples. 1 

This story is also the subject of an immense sculpture in the 
cave-temple at Elephanta, where the children are represented as 
being slain. The date of this sculpture is lost in the most remote 
antiquity. It represents a person holding a drawn sword, sur¬ 
rounded by slaughtered infant boys. Figures of men and women 
are also represented who are supposed to be supplicating for their 
children. 2 

Thomas Maurice, speaking of this sculpture, says : 

“ The event of Crisbna’s birth, and the attempt to destroy him, took place by 
night, and therefore the shadowy mantle of darkness, v.pon which mutilated figures 
of infants are engraved , darkness (at once congenial with his crime and the season * 
of its perpetration), involves the tyrant’s bust; the string of death heads marks the 
multitude of infants slain by his savage mandate; and every object in the sculp¬ 
ture illustrates the events of that Avatar.” 3 

Another feature which connects these stories is the following 

Sir Wm. Jones tells us that when Crishna was taken out of 
reach of the tyrant Kansa who sought to slay him, he w T as fostered 
at Mathura by FTanda, the herdsman ; 4 and Canon Farrar, speak¬ 
ing of the sojourn of the Holy Family in Egypt, says: 

“ St. Matthew neither tells us where the Holy Family abode in Egypt, nor 
how long their exile continued; but ancient legends say that they remained two 
years absent from Palestine, and lived at Matareeh, a few miles north-east of 
Cairo.” 5 

Chemnitius, out of Stipulensis, who had it from Peter Martyr, 
Bishop of Alexandria, in the third century, says, that the place in 
Egypt where Jesus ivas banished, is now called Matarea, about 
ten miles beyond Cairo, that the inhabitants constantly burn a 
lamp in remembrance of it, and that there is a garden of trees 
yielding a balsam, which was planted by Jesus when a boy. 6 

Here is evidently one and the same legend. 

Salivahana , the virgin-born Saviour, anciently worshiped near 
Cape Comorin, the southerly part of the Peninsula of India, had 
the same history. It was attempted to destroy him in infancy 
by a tyrant vdio v r as afterward killed by him. Most of the other 
circumstances, w T ith slight variations, are the same as those told of 
Crishna and Jesus. 7 


1 See Prog. Rclig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 61. 

2 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. 130, 13 . 

and Maurice: Indian Antiquities, vol. i. pp. 

112, 113, and vol. iii. pp. 45, 95. 

8 Indian Antiquities, vol. i. pp. 112, 113. 


4 Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 259. 

5 Farrar’s Life of CLrist, p. 58. 

« See Introduction to Gospel of Infancy, 
Apoc. 

7 See vol. x. Asiatic Researches. 



168 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Buddhds life was also in danger when an infant. In the 
southern country of Magadha, there lived a king by the name of 
Bimbasara, who, being fearful of some enemy arising that might 
overturn his kingdom, frequently assembled his principal ministers 
together to hold discussion with them on the subject. On one of 
these occasions they told him that away to the north there was a 
respectable tribe of people called the Sakyas, and that belonging 
to this race there was a youth newly-born, the first-begotten of his 
mother, &c. This youth, who was Buddha, they said was lia¬ 
ble to overturn him, they therefore advised him to “ at once raise 
an army and destroy the child.” 1 

In the chronicles of the East Mongols, the same tale is to be 
found repeated in the following story: 

“ A certain king of a people called Patsala, had a son whose peculiar appear¬ 
ance led the Brahmins at court to prophesy that he would bring evil upon his 
father, and to advise his destruction. Various modes of execution having failed, 
the hoy was laid in a copper chest and thrown into the Ganges. Rescued by an old 
peasant who brought him up as his son, he, in due time, learned the story of his 
escape, and returned to seize upon the kingdom destined for him from his 
birth.” 2 

Ilavrki , the Chinese hero of supernatural origin, was exposed 
in infancy, as the “Shih-king” says: 

“ lie was placed in a narrow lane, but the sheep and oxen protected him with 
loving care. He was placed in a wide forest, where he was met with by the 
wood-cutters. He was placed on the cold ice, and a bird screened and sup¬ 
ported him with its wings,” &c. 3 

Mr. Legge draws a comparison with this to the Roman legend 
of Romulus. 

Jlorus , according to the Egyptian story, was born in the winter, 
and brought up secretly in the Isle of Buto, for fear of Typlion, 
who sought his life. Typlion at first schemed to prevent his birth, 
and then sought to destroy him when born. 4 

Within historical times, Cyrus , king of Persia (6th cent. b. c.), 
is the hero of a similar tale. Ilis grandfather, Astyages, had 
dreamed certain dreams which were interpreted by the Magi to 
mean that the offspring of his daughter Mandane would expel him 
from his kingdom. 

Alarmed at the prophecy, he handed the child to his kinsman 
Harpagos to be slain ; but this man having entrusted it to a shep¬ 
herd to be exposed, the latter contrived to save it by exhibiting to 


1 Beal : Hist. Buddha, pp. 103, 104. 

2 Amberly’s Analysis, p. 220. 


3 The Shih-king. Decade ii, ode 1. 

4 Bomvick: Egyptian Belief, pp. 158 and 166. 





THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS. 


169 


tlie emissaries of Harpagos tlie body of a still-born child of which 
his own wife had just been delivered. Grown to man’s estate 
Cyrus of course justified the /prediction of tlie Magi by his success¬ 
ful revolt against Astyages and assumption of the monarchy. 

Herodotus, the Grecian Historian (b. c. 484), relates that 
Astyages, in a vision, appeared to see a vine grow up from Man- 
dane’s womb, which covered all Asia. Having seen this and com¬ 
municated it to the interpreters of dreams, he put her under 
guard, resolving to destroy whatever should be born of her; for 
the Magian interpreters had signified to him from his vision that 
the child born of Mandane would reign in his stead. Astyages 
therefore, guarding against this, as soon as Cyrus was born sought 
to have him destroyed. The story of his exjoosure on the moun¬ 
tain, and his subsequent good fortune, is then related. 1 2 

Abraham was also a “ dangerous child.” At the time of his 
birth, Nimrod, king of Babylon, was informed by his soothsayers 
that “ a child should be born in Babylonia, who would shortly 
become a great prince, and that he had reason to fear him.” The 
result of this was that Nimrod then issued orders that “all women 
with child should be guarded with great care, and all children 
born of them should be put to death A 

The mother of Abraham was at that time with child, but, of 
course, he escaped from being put to death, although many chil¬ 
dren were slaughtered. 

Zoroaster , the chief of the religion of the Magi, was a “ danger¬ 
ous child.” Prodigies had announced his birth; he was exposed 
to dangers from the time of his infancy, and was obliged to fly 
into Persia, like Jesus into Egypt. Like him, he was pursued by 
a king, his enemy, who wanted to get rid of him. 3 

II is mother had alarming dreams of evil spirits seeking to de¬ 
stroy the child to whom she was about to give birth. But a good 
spirit came to comfort her and said: “Fear nothing! Ormuzd 
will protect this infant. He has sent him as a prophet to the 
people. The world is waiting for him.” 1 

Perseus , son of the Virgin Danae, was also a “ dangerous 
child.” Acrisius, king of Argos, being told by the oracle 
that a son born of his virgin daughter would destroy him, im¬ 
mured his daughter Danae in a tower, tvhere no man could 
approach her , and by this means hoped to keep his daughter from 


1 Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 110. p. 240. 

2 Calmet’s Fragments, art. “Abraham.” 4 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. “Religions 

3 See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, of Persia.” 



170 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


becoming enceinte. The god Jupiter, however, visited her there, 
as it is related of the Angel Gabriel visiting the Virgin Mary, 1 
the result of which was that she bore a son— Perseus. Acrisius, 
on hearing of his daughter’s disgrace, caused both her and the 
infant to be shut up in a chest and cast into the sea. They were 
discovered by one Dictys, and liberated from what must have 
been anything but a pleasant position. 2 

HSsculapius , when an infant, w r as exposed on the Mount of 
Myrtles, and left there to die, but escaped the death which was 
intended for him, having been found and cared for by shepherds. 3 

Hercules, son of the virgin Leto, was left to die on a plain, but 
was found and rescued by a maiden. 4 

(Edipous w r as a “ dangerous child.” Laios, King of Thebes, 
having been told by the Delphic Oracle that GEdipous would be his 
destroyer, no sooner is GEdipous born than the decree goes forth 
that the child must be slain; but the servant to whom he is in¬ 
trusted contents himself with exposing the babe on the slopes of 
Mount Kithairon, where a shepherd linds him, and carries him, 
like Cyrus or Romulus, to his wife, wdio cherishes the child with a 
mother’s care. 6 . 

The Theban myth of CEdipous is repeated substantially in the 
Arcadian tradition of Tclephos. lie is exposed, when a babe, on 
Mount Parthenon, and is suckled by a doe, which represents the 
wolf in the myth of Romulus, and the dog of the Persian story of 
Cyrus. Like Moses, he is brought up in the palace of a king. 6 

As we read the story of Telephos, we can scarcely fail to think 
of the story of the Trojan Paris , for, like Telephos, Paris is ex¬ 
posed as a babe on the mountain-side. 7 Before he is born, there are 
portents of the ruin which he is to bring upon his house and 
people. Priam, the ruling monarch, therefore decrees that the 
child shall be left to die on the hill-side. But the babe lies on 
the slopes of Ida and is nourished by a slie-bear. lie is fostered, 
like Crishna and others, by shepherds , among whom he grows up. 8 

Iamos was left to die among the bushes and violets. Aipytos, 
the chieftain of Phaisana, had learned at Delphi that a child had 
been born who should become the greatest of all the seers and 
prophets of the earth, and he asked all his people where the babe 


1 In the Apocryphal Gospel of the Birth of 
Mary and “ Protevangelion.” , 

2 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 9. Cox: 
Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 58, and Bulfinch : 
The Age of Fable, p. 101. 

3 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 27. Cox : Aryan 


Mytho. vol. ii. p. 34. 

4 Cox : Aryan Mytho. vol. ii. p. 44. 

6 Ibid, p. 09, and Tales of Ancient Greece, 
p. xlii. 

8 Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 74. 

7 Ibid. p. 75. s ibid. p> 78> 




THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS. 


171 


was: but none liad heard or seen him, for he lay away amid the 
thick bushes, with his soft body bathed in the golden and pure 
rays of the violets. So when he was found, they called him Iamos, 
the “ violet child and as he grew in years and strength, he went 
down into the Alplieian stream, and prayed to his father that he 
would glorify his son. Then the voice of Zeus was heard, bidding 
him come to the heights of Olympus, where he should receive the 
gift of prophecy. 1 

Chandragupta was also a “ dangerous child.” He is exposed 
to great dangers in his infancy at the hands of a tributary chief 
who has defeated and slain his suzerain. Ilis mother, “relinquish¬ 
ing him to the protection of the Devas, places him in a vase, and 
deposits him at the door of a cattle pen” A herdsman takes the 
child and rears it as his own. 2 

Jason is another hero of the same kind. Pelias, the chief of 
lolkos, had been told that one of the children of Aiolos would be 
his destroyer, and decreed, therefore, that all should be slain. Jason 
only is preserved, and brought up by Cheiron. 3 

Bacchus ■, son of the virgin Semele, was destined to bring ruin 
upon Cadmus, King of Thebes, who therefore orders the infant to 
be put into a chest and thrown into a river. He is found, and taken 
from the water by loving hands, and lives to fulfill his mission. 4 

Herodotus relates a similar story, which is as follows: 

“The constitution of the Corinthians was formerly of this kind; it was an 
oligarchy, (a government in the hands of a selected few), and those who were 
called Bacchiadce governed the city. About this time one Eetion, who had been 
married to a maiden called Labda, and having no children by her, went to 
Delphi to inquire of the oracle about having offspring. Upon entering the tem¬ 
ple he was immediately saluted as follows: ‘Eetion, no one honors thee, though 
worthy of much honor. Labda is pregnant and will bring forth a round stone; 
it will fall on monarchs, and vindicate Corinth.’ This oracle, pronounced to 
Eetion, was by chance reported to the Bacchiadce, who well knew that it prophe¬ 
sied the birth of a son to Eetion who w r ould overthrow them, and reign in their 
stead; and though they comprehended, they kept it secret, purposing to destroy 
the offspring that should be born to Eetion. As soon as the woman brought 
forth, they sent ten persons to the district wdiere Eetion lived, to put the child 
to death; but, the child, by a divine providence, was saved. His mother hid him 
in a chest, and as they could not find the child they resolved to depart, and tell 
those who sent them that they had done all that they had commanded. 
After this, Eetion’s son grew up, and having escaped this danger, the name of 
Cypselus w r as given him, from the chest. When Cypselus reached man’s estate, 
and consulted the oracle, an ambiguous answer was given him at Delphi; rely¬ 
ing on which he attacked and got possession of Corinth.” 5 6 


1 Cox: Aryan Mytho. ii. p. 81. 

2 Ibid. p. 84. 

s Ibid. p. loO. 


4 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 188. Cox: 

Aryan Mytho. vol. ii. p. 203. 

6 Herodotus : bk. v. ch. 92. 



172 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Romulus and Remus , the founders of Rome, were exposed on 
the banks of the Tiber, when infants, and left there to die, but 
escaped the death intended for them. 

The story of the “ dangerous child ” was well known in ancient 
Rome, and several of their emperors, so it is said, were threatened 
with death at their birth, or when mere infants. Julius Marathus, 
in his life of the Emperor Augustus Caesar, says that before his 
birth there was a prophecy in Rome that a king over the Roman 
people would soon be born. To obviate this danger to the republic, 
the Senate ordered that all the male children born in that year 
should be abandoned or exposed . * 1 

The flight of the virgin-mother with her babe is also illustrated 
in the story of Astrea when beset by Orion, and of Latona, the 
mother of Apollo, when pursued by the monster . 3 It is simply the 
same old story, over and over again. Some one has predicted that 
a child born at a certain time shall be great, he is therefore a “ dan¬ 
gerous child,” and the reigning monarch, or some other interested 
party, attempts to have the child destroyed, but he invariably 
escapes and grows to manhood, and generally accomplishes the 
purpose for which he was intended. This almost universal mytlios 
was added to the fictitious history of Jesus by its fictitious authors, 
who have made him escape in his infancy from the reigning tyrant 
with the usual good fortune. 

When a marvellous occurrence is said to have happened every¬ 
where, we may feel sure that it never happened anywhere. Pop¬ 
ular fancies propagate themselves indefinitely, but historical events, 
especially the striking and dramatic ones, are rarely repeated. 
That this is a fictitious story is seen from the narratives of the 
birth of Jesus, which are recorded by the first and third Gospel 
writers, without any other evidence. In the one—that related by 
the Matthew narrator—we have a birth at Bethlehem—implying 
the ordinary residence of the parents there—and a hurr ied flight 
—almost immediately after the birth—from that place into Egypt , 3 
the slaughter of the infants, and a journey, after many months, from 
Egypt to Nazareth in Galilee. In the other story—that told by 
the Luhe narrator—the parents, who have lived in Nazareth, came 
to Bethlehem only for business of the State, and the casual birth in 
the cave or stable is followed by a quiet sojourn, during which the 
child is circumcised, and by a leisurely journey to Jerusalem ; 


1 See Farrar’s Life of Christ, p. 60. Christian art of the flight of the Holy Family 

a Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 168. into Egypt. (See Mounmental Christianity, p. 

1 There are no very early examples in 239.) 





the slaughter of the innocents. 


173 


whence, everything having gone off peaceably and happily, they 
return naturally to their own former place of abode, full, it is 
said over and over again , of wonder at the things that had hap- 
r ' pened, and deeply impressed with the conviction that their child 
had a special work to do, and was specially gifted for it. There is 
no fear of Herod , who seems never to trouble himself about the 
child , or even to have any knowledge of him. There is no trouble 
or misery at Bethlehem , and certainly no mourning for children 
slain. Far from flying hurriedly away by night, his parents cele¬ 
brate openly , and at the usual time, the circumcision of the child ; 
and when he is presented in the temple, there is not only no sign 
that enemies seek his life, but the devout saints give public thanks 
for the manifestation of the Saviour. 

Dr. Ilooykaas, speaking of the slaughter of the innocents, says : 

“Antiquity in general delighted in representing great men, such as Romulus, 
Cyrus, and many more, as having been threatened in their childhood by fearful 
dangers. This served to bring into clear relief both the lofty significance of their 
future lives, and the special protection of the deity who watched over them. 

“ The brow of many a theologian has been bent over this (Matthew) narra¬ 
tive! For, as long as people believed in the miraculous inspiration of llie Holy 
Scriptures, of course they accepted every page as literally true, and thought 
that there could not be any contradiction between the different accounts or repre¬ 
sentations of Scripture. The worst of all such pre-conceived ideas is, that they 
compel those who hold them to do violence to their own sense of truth. For 
when these so-called religious prejudices come into play, people are afraid to call 
things by their right names, and, without knowing it themselves, become guilty 
of all kinds of evasive and arbitrary practices; for what would be thought quite 
unjustifiable in any other case is here considered a duty, inasmuch as it is sup¬ 
posed to tend toward the maintenance of faith and the glory of God! 

As we stated above, this story is to be found in the fictitious 
gospel according to Matthew only; contemporary history has no¬ 
where recorded this audacious crime. It is mentioned neither by 
Jewish nor Homan historians. Tacitus, who has stamped forever 
the crimes of despots with the brand of reprobation, it would seem 
* then, did not think such infamies worthy of his condemnation. 
Josephus also, who gives us a minute account of the atrocities per¬ 
petrated by Herod up to even the very last moment of his life, 
does not say a single word about this unheard-of crime, which must 
have been so notorious. Surely he must have known of it, and 
must have mentioned it, had it ever been committed. “We can 
readily imagine the Pagans,” says Mr. Heber, “ who composed the 
learned and intelligent men of their day, at work in exposing 
the story of Herod’s cruelty, by showing that, considering the ex- 


1 Bible for Learners, vol. iii. pp. 71-74. 






174 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


tent of territory embraced in the order, and the population within 
it, the assumed destruction of life stamped the story false and 
ridiculous. A governor of a Roman province who dared make 
such an order would be so speedily overtaken by the vengeance of 
the Roman people, that his head would fall from his body before 
the blood of his victims had time to dry. Arclielaus, his son, was 
deposed for offenses not to be spoken of when compared with this 
massacre of the infants.” 

Ho wonder that there is no trace at all in the Roman catacombs, 
nor in Christian art, of this fictitious story, until about the begin¬ 
ning of the fifth century . 1 Hever would Herod dared to have taken 
upon himself the odium and responsibility of such a sacrifice. 
Such a crime could never have happened at the epoch of its pro¬ 
fessed perpetration. To such lengths were the early Fathers led, 
by the servile adaptation of the ancient traditions of the East, they 
required a second edition of the tyrant Kansa, and their holy wrath 
fell upon Ilerod. The Apostles of Jesus counted too much upon 
human credulity, they trusted too much that the future might not 
unravel their maneuvers, the sanctity of their object made them 
too reckless. They destroyed all the evidence against themselves 
which they could lay their hands upon, but they did not destroy 
it all. 


1 See Monumental Christianity, p. 238. 


i 



CHAPTER XIX. 


THE TEMPTATION, AND FAST OF FORTY DAYS. 

We are informed by the Matthew narrator that, after being bap¬ 
tized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus was led by the spirit into 
the wilderness “ to be tempted of the devil.” 

“ And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an 
hungered. And when the tempter came to him he said: ‘ If thou be the Son of 
God, command that these stones be made bread.’ . . . Then the devil taketh 

him up into the holy cit}' - , and settetk him on a 'pinnacle of the temple, and saith 
unto him: ‘ If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down.’ . . . Again, the devil 
taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the king¬ 
doms of the world, and the glory of them, and saith unto him: ‘ All these things will 
1 give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me.’ Then saith Jesus unto him, 

* Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, 
and him only shalt thou serve.’ Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels 
came and ministered unto him.” 1 

This is really a very peculiar story ; it is therefore not to be 
wondered at that many of the early Christian Fathers rejected it as 
being fabulous , 2 but this, according to orthodox teaching, cannot be 
done ; because, in all consistent reason, “ we must accept the 'whole 
of the inspired autographs or reject the whole f* and, because, the 
very foundations of our faith, the very basis of our hopes, the very 
nearest and dearest of our consolations, are taken from us, when 
one line of that sacred volume, on which we base everything, is de¬ 
clared to be untruthful and untrustworthy .” 4 

The reason why we have this story in the New Testament is 
because the writer wished to show that Christ Jesus was proof 
against all temptations, that he too, as well as Buddha and others, 
could resist the powers of the prince of evil. This Angel-Messiah 
was tempted by the devil, and he fasted for forty-seven days and 
nights, without taking an atom of food . 5 


J Matthew, iv. 1-11. 

* Sec Lardner’s Works, vol. viii. p. 491. 

3 Words of the Rev. E. Garbctt, M. A., in a 
sermon preached before the University of Ox¬ 


ford, England. 

* The Bishop of Manchester (England), in 
the “ Manchester Examiner and Times.” 

8 See Lillie's Buddhism, p. 100. 


175 






176 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


The story of Buddha’s temptation, presented below, is taken 
from the “ Siamese Life of Buddha f by Moncure IX Conway, 
and published in his “ Sacred Anthology ,” from which we take it . 1 
It is also to be found in the Fo-pen-liing , 2 and other works on 
Buddha and Buddhism. Buddha went through a more lengthy and 
severe trial than did Jesus, having been tempted in many different 
ways. The portion which most resembles that recorded by the 
Matthew narrator is the following : 

“ The Grand Being (Buddha) applied himself to practice ascetcism of the ex- 
tremest nature. He ceased to eat (that is, h q fasted) and held his breath. . . . 

Then it teas that the royal Mara (the Prince of Evil) sought occasion to tempt him. 
Pretending compassion, he said: ‘ Beware, O Grand Being, your state is pitiable 
to look on; juju are attenuated beyond measure, . . . you are practicing 

this mortification in vain; I can see that you will not live through it. . . . 

Lord, that art capable of such vast endurance, go not forth to adopt a religious 
life, but return to thy kingdom, and in seven days thou shalt become the Emperor 
of the World, riding over the four great continents.’ ” 

To this the Grand Being, Buddha, replied : 

“ ‘ Take heed, O Mara; I also know that in seven days I might gain universal 
empire, but I desire not such possessions. I know that the pursuit of religion is 
better than the empire of the world. You, thinking only of evil lusts, would 
force me to leave all beings without guidance into your power. Avaunt ! Get 
thou away from me ! ’ 

“The Lord (then) rode onwards, intent on his purpose. The skies rained 
flowers, and delicious odors pervaded the air.” 3 

Now, mark the similarity between these two legends. 

Was Jesus about “ beginning to preach” when he was tempted 
by the evil spirit ? So was Buddha about to go forth “ to adopt 
a religious life,” when he was tempted by the evil spirit. 

Did Jesus fast, and was he “ afterwards an hungered ” ? Sc 
did Buddha “ cease to eat,” and was “ attenuated beyond measure.” 

Did the evil spirit take Jesus and show him u all the king¬ 
doms of the world,” which he promised to give him, provided he 
did not lead the life he contemplated, but follow him ? 

So did the evil spirit say to Buddha: “ Go not forth to adopt 
a religious life, and in seven days thou shalt become an emperor of 
the world.” 

Did not Jesus resist these temptations, and say unto the evil 
one, “ Get thee behind me, Satan ” ? 

So did Buddha resist the temptations, and said unto the evil one, 
“ Get thee away from me.” 


1 Pp. 44 and 172, 173. 39. Beal : Iliat. Buddha, pp. xxviii., xxix., 

2 Translated by Prof. Samuel Beal. and 190, and Hardy: Buddhist Legends, p. 

* See also Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, pp. 38, xvii. 




THE TEMPTATION AND FAST. 


177 


After the evil spirit left Jesus did not “ angels come and minis¬ 
ter unto him ” ? 

So with Buddha. After the evil one had left him “ the skies 
rained flowers, and delicious odors pervaded the air.” 

These parallels are too striking to he accidental. 

Zoroaster , the founder of the religion of the- Persians, was 
tempted by the devil, who made him magnificent promises, in order 
to induce him to become his servant and to be dependent on him, 
but the temptations were in vain . 1 “ Ilis temptation by the devil, 
forms the subject of many traditional reports and legends .” 2 

Quetzalcoatle , the virgin-born Mexican Saviour, was also 
tempted by the devil, and the forty days’ fast was found among 
them . 3 

Fasting and self-denial were observances practiced by all nations 
of antiquity. The Hindoos have days set apart for fasting on 
many different occasions throughout the year, one of which is when 
the birth-day of their Lord and Saviour Crishna is celebrated. On 
this occasion, the day is spent in fasting and worship. They ab¬ 
stain entirely from food and drink for more than thirty hours, at 
the end of which Crishna’s image is worshiped, and the story of his 
miraculous birth is read to his hungry worshipers . 4 

Among the ancient Egyptians , there were times when the 
priests submitted to abstinence of the most severe description, be¬ 
ing forbidden to eat even bread, and at other times they only ate 
it mingled with hyssop. “The priests in Heliopolis,” says Plu¬ 
tarch, “ have many fasts, during which they meditate on divine 
things .” 5 

Among the Sabians , fasting was insisted on as an essential act 
of religion. During the month Tammuz , they w r ere in the habit 
of fasting from sunrise to sunset, without allowing a morsel of food 
or drop of liquid to pass their lips . 6 

The Jews also had their fasts, and on special occasions they 
gave themselves up to prolonged fasts and mortifications. 

Fasting and self-denial were observances required of the Greeks 
who desired initiation into the Mysteries. Abstinence from food, 
chastity and hard couches prepared the neophyte, who broke his 
fast on the third and fourth day only, on consecrated food . 7 

The same practice w T as found among the ancient Mexicans and 
Peruvians. Acosta, speaking of them, says : 

1 Dnpnis : Origin of Religions? Belief, p. 240. 4 Life and Relig. of the Hindoos, p. 134. 

a Chambers’s Enclyclo. art. “Zoroaster.” 6 Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. 

3 See Kingsborough : Mexican Antiquities, p. 341. 

vol. vi. p. 200. • Ibid. 


' Ibid. p. 3-40. 





178 


BIBLE KYTIIS. 


“These priests and religious men used great fastings, of five and ten days 
together, before any of their great feasts, and they were unto them as our four 
ember weeks. . . . 

“ They drank no wine, and slept little, for the greatest part of their exercises 
(of penance) were at night, committing great cruelties and martyring themselves 
for the devil, and all to be reputed great fasters and penitents.” 1 

In regard to the number of days which Jesus is said to have 
fasted being specified as forty, this is simply owing to the fact that 
the number forty as well as seven was a sacred one among most 
nations of antiquity, particularly among the Jews, and because 
others had fasted that number of days. For instance; it is related 2 
that Moses went up into a mountain, a and he was there with the 
Lord forty days and forty nights, and he did neither eat bread, 
nor drink water f which is to say that h q fasted. 

In Deuteronomy 3 Moses is made to say —for he did not write 
it, “When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables 
of stone, . . . then I abode in the mount forty days and forty 

nights , I neither did eat bread nor drink water.” 

Elijah also had a long fast, which, of course, was continued for a 
period of forty days and forty nights . 4 

St. Joachim, father of the “ever-blessed Virgin Mary,” had a 
long fast, which w T as also continued for a period of forty days and 
forty nights. The story is to be found in the apocryphal gospel 
Protevangelion . 6 

The ancient Persians had a religious festival which they an¬ 
nually celebrated, and which they called the “ Salutation of Mith¬ 
ras.” During this festival, forty days were set apart for thanks¬ 
giving and sacrifice . 6 

The forty days ’ fast was found in the Hew World. 

Godfrey Higgins tells us that: 

“The ancient Mexicans had a forty days' fast, in memory of one of their sacred 
persons (Quetzalcoatle) who was tempted (and fasted) forty days on a moun¬ 
tain.” 7 

Lord Kingsborougli says: 

“ The temptation of Quetzalcoatle, and the fast of forty days, . . . are 

very curious and mysterious .” 8 

The ancient Mexicans were also in the habit of making their 


1 Acosta : Hist. Indies, vol. ii. p. 339. 6 Chapter i. 

2 Exodus, xxiv. 28. 8 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 272. 

3 Deut. ix. 18. 7 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19. 

* 1 Kings, xix. 8. 8 Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. pp. 197-200. 





THE TEMPTATION AND FAST. 


179 


prisoners of war fast for a terra of forty days before they were 
put to death . 1 

Mr. Eon wick says : 

“ Tho Spaniards were surprised to see the Mexicans keep the vernal forty days ’ 
fast. The Tammuz month of Syria was in the spring. The forty days were 
kept for Proserpine. Thus does history repeat itself.” 2 

The Spanish monks accounted for what Lord Kingsborough 
calls “ very curious and mysterious ” circumstances, by the agency 
of the devil, and burned all the books containing them, whenever 
it was in their power. 

The forty days’ fast was also found among some of the Indian 
tribes in the Kew World. Dr. Daniel Brinton tells us that “the 
females of the Orinoco tribes fasted forty days before marriage ,” 3 * * 
and Prof. Max Muller informs us that it was customary for some 
of the females of the South American tribes of Indians “to fast 
before and after the birth of a child,” and that, among the Carib- 
Coudave tribe, in the West Indies, “when a child is born the 
mother goes presently to work, but the father begins to complain, 
and takes to his hammock, and there he is visited as though he 
wore sick. lie then fasts for forty days.”* 

The females belonging to the tribes of the Upper Mississippi, 
were held unclean for forty days after childbirth . 6 The prince of 
the Tezcuca tribes fasted forty days when he wished an heir to 
his throne, and the Mandanas supposed it recpiired forty days and 
forty nights to wash clean the earth at the deluge . 6 

The number forty is to be found in a great many instances in 
the Old Testament; for instance, at the end of forty days Noah 
sent out a raven from the ark . 7 Isaac and Esau were each forty 
years old when they married . 8 Forty days were fulfilled for the 
embalming of Jacob . 9 The spies were forty days in search of the 
land of Canaan . 10 The Israelites wandered forty years in the 
wilderness . 11 The land “had rest ” forty years on three occasions . 13 
The land was delivered into the hand of the Philistines/br^/ years." 
Eli judged Israel forty years." King David reigned forty years." 


1 See Kingsborough’s Mexican Antiquities, 
vol. vi. p. 223. 

2 Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 370. 

8 Brinton : Myths of the New World, p. 94. 

* Max Muller’s Chips, vol. ii. p. 279. 

6 Brinton : Myths of the New World, p. 94. 

6 Ibid. According to Genesis, vii. 12, “ the 

rain was upon the earth forty days and forty 

nights” at the time of the flood. 


7 Genesis, viii. 6. 

8 Gen. xxv. 20—xxvi. 34. 

8 Gen. i. 3. 

10 Numbers, xiii. 25. 

11 Numbers, xiii. 13. 

12 Jud. iii. 11 ; v. 31; viii. 28. 

13 Jud. xiii. 1. 

14 1. Samuel, iv. 18. 

16 I. Kings, ii. 11. 


if 







180 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


King Solomon reigned forty years} Goliath presented himself 
forty days} The rain was upon the earth forty days at the time 
of the deluge. 3 4 And, as we saw above, Moses was on the mount 
forty days and forty nights on each occasion/ Can anything be 
more mythological than this? 

The number forty was used by the ancients in constructing 
temples. There wer z forty pillars around the temple of Cliilminar, 
in Persia; the temple at Baalbec had forty pillars ; on the frontiers 
of China, in Tartary, there is to be seen the “ Temple of the forty 
pillars.” Forty is one of the most common numbers in tlid Dru- 
idical temples, and in the plan of the temple of Ezekiel, the four 
oblong buildings in the middle of the courts have each forty pil¬ 
lars. 5 Most temples of anticpiity were imitative—were microcosms 
of the Celestial Templum—and on this account they were sur¬ 
rounded with pillars recording astronomical subjects, and intended 
both to do honor to these subjects, and to keep them in perpetual 
remembrance. In the Abury temples were to be seen the cycles of 
650-608-600-60-40-30-19-12, etc. 6 


1 I. Kings, xi. 42. 6 See Higgins 1 2 Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 708 ; 

2 I. Samuel, xvii. 16. vol. ii. p. 402. i 

2 Gen. vii. 12. • See Ibid. vol. ii. p. 703. 

4 Exodus, xxiv. 18—xxxiv. 28. 



CHAPTER XX. 



THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 

The punishment of an individual by crucifixion, for claiming 
to be “ King of the Jews,” “ Son of God,” or “ The Christ;” 
which are the causes assigned by the Evangelists for the Cru¬ 
cifixion of Jesus, would need but a passing glance in our in¬ 
quiry, were it not for the fact that there is much attached to it 
of a dogmatic and heathenish nature, which demands considerably 
more than a “ passing glance.” The doctrine of atonement for sin 
had been preached long before the doctrine was deduced from the 
Christian Scriptures, long before these Scriptures are pretended to 
have been written. Before the period assigned for the birth of 
Christ Jesus, the poet Ovid had assailed the demoralizing 
delusion with the most powerful shafts of philosophic scorn : 
“ When thou thyself art guilty ,” says he, “ why should a victim 
die for thee f What folly it is to expect savlation from the death 
of another .” 

The idea of expiation by the sacrifice of a god was to be 
found among the Hindoos even in Vedic times. The sacrificer 
was mystically identified- with the victim , which was regarded as 
the ransom for sin, and the instrument of its annulment. The 
Rig - Veda represents the gods as sacrificing Purusha , the primeval 
male, supposed to be coeval with the Creator. This idea is even 
more remarkably developed in the Tandy a-brdhmanas, thus : 

“ The lord of creatures ( prajd-pati ) offered himself a sacrifice for the gods." 

And again, in the Satapatha-brdhmana : 

“He who, knowing this, sacrifices the Purusha-medha , or sacrifice of the 
primeval male, becomes everything.” 1 

Prof. Monier Williams, from whose work on Ilindooism we 
quote the above, says: 


* Monier Williams : Hinduism, pp. 3G-49. 


181 






182 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“Surely, in these mystical allusions to the sacrifice of a representative man, 
we may perceive traces of the original institution of sacrifice as a divinely-ap¬ 
pointed ordinance typical of the one great sacrifice of the Son of God for the sins of 
the world” 1 

This idea of redemption from sin through the sufferings and 
death of a Divine Incarnate Saviour, is simply the crowning-point of 
the idea entertained by primitive man that the gods demanded a 
sacrifice of some kind, to atone for some sin, or avert some calamity. 

In primitive ages, when men lived mostly on vegetables, they 
offered only grain, water, salt, fruit, and flowers to the gods, to 
propitiate them and thereby obtain temporal blessings. But when 
they began to eat meat and spices, and drink wine, they offered 
the same; naturally supposing the deities would be pleased with 
whatever was useful or agreeable to themselves. They imagined 
that some gods were partial to animals, others to fruits, flowers, 
etc. To the celestial gods they offered white victims at sunrise, 
or at open day. To the infernal deities they sacrificed black 
animals in the night. Each god had some creature peculiarly 
devoted to his worship. They sacrificed a bull to Mars, a dove to 
Venus, and to Minerva, a heifer without blemish, which had never 
been put to the yoke. If a man was too poor to sacrifice a living 
animal, he offered an image of one made of bread. 

In the course of time, it began to be imagined that the gods 
demanded something more sacred as offerings or atonements for sin. 
This led to the sacrifice of human beings , principally slaves and 
those taken in war, then, their own children, even their most 
beloved “ first-born.” It came to be an idea that every sin must 
have its prescribed amount of punishment, and that the gods would 
accept the life of one person as atonement for the sins of others. 
This idea prevailed even in Greece and Borne : but there it mainly 
took the form of heroic self-sacrifice for the public good. Cicero 
says: “ The force of religion was so great among our ancestors, that 
some of their commanders have, with their faces veiled, and with 
the strongest expressions of sincerity, sacrificed themselves to the 
immortal gods to save their country™ 

In Egypt, offerings of human sacrifices, for the atonement of 
sin, became so general that “ if the eldest born of the family of 
Athamas entered the temple of the Lapliystan Jupiter at Alos in 
Achaia, lie was sacrificed, crowned with garlands like an animal 
victim.”* 


1 Monier Williams: Hinduism, p, 36. 2 See Prog. Eelig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 303. 

3 Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 443. 





THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


183 


When the Egyptian priests offered up a sacrifice to the gods, 
they pronounced the following imprecations on the head of the 
victim: 

“ If any evil is about to befall either those who now sacrifice, or Egypt in 
general, may it be averted on this head Z’ 1 

This idea of atonement finally resulted in the belief that the 
incarnate Christ, the Anointed, the God among us, was to save 
mankind from a curse by God imposed. Man had sinned, and 
God could not and did not forgive without a propitiatory sacrifice. 
The curse of God must be removed from the sinful, and the 
sinless must bear the load of that curse. It was asserted that 
divine justice required blood. 2 

The belief of redemption from sin by the sufferings of a Divine 
Incarnation, whether by death on the cross or otherwise, was 
general and popular among the heathen, centuries before the time 
of Jesus of Nazareth, and this dogma, no matter how sacred it may 
have become, or how consoling it may be, must fall along with the 
rest of the material of which the Christian church is built. 

Julius Firmicius, referring to this popular belief among the 
Pagans, says: “ The devil has his Christs.” 3 This was the 
general off-hand manner in which the Christian Fathers disposed 
of such matters. Everything in the religion of the Pagans which 
corresponded to their religion was of the devil. Most Protestant 
divines have resorted to the type theory, of wdiicli we shall speak 
anon. 

As we have done heretofore in our inquiries, we will first turn 
to India, where we shall find, in the words of M. l’Abbe IIuc, 
that “ the idea of redemption l>y a divine incarnation” who came 
into the world for the express purpose of redeeming mankind, was 
“ general and popular.” 4 

“A sense of original corruption” says Prof. Monier Williams, 


1 Herodotus: bk. ii. ch. 39. 

2 In the trial of Dr. Thomas (at Chicago) for 

“ doctrinal heresy," one of the charges made 
against him (Sept. 8, 1881) was that he had 
said “the Blood of the Lamb had nothing 

to do with salvation.” And in a sermon 
preached in Boston, Sept. 2, 1831, at the 
Columbus Avenue Presbyterian Churen, by the 
Rev. Andrew A. Bonar, D.D., the preacher said : 
“No sinner dares to meet the holy God until 
his sin has been forgiven, or until he has re¬ 
ceived remission. The penal tv of sin is death, 
and this penalty is not remitted by anything 
the sinner can do for himself , but only through 
the Blood of Jesus. If you have accepted 


Jesus as your Saviour, you can take the blood of 
Jesus, and with boldness present it to the Father 
as payment in full of the penalties of all your sins. 
Sinful man has no right to the benefits and the 
beauties and glories of nature. These were all 
lost to him through Adam's sin, but to the 
blood of Christ's sacrifice he has a right; it 
was shed for him. It is Christ’s death that 
does the blessed work of salvation for us. It 
was not his life nor his Incarnation. His Incar¬ 
nation could not pay a farthing of our debt, but 
his blood shed in redeeming love, pays it all." 
(See Boston Advertiser, Sept. 3,1831.) 

3 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 1G4. 

* Hue’s Travels, vol. i. pp. 32G, 327. 





184 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


seems to be felt by all classes of Hindoos, as indicated by the follow¬ 
ing prayer used after tlie Gdyatri by some Vaislmavas : 

“‘I am sinful, I commit sin, my nature is sinful, I am conceived in sin. 
Save me, O tliou lotus-eyed Heri (Saviour), tlie remover of sin.’ 1,1 


Moreover, tlie doctrine of bhakti (salvation by faith) existed 
amone: the Hindoos from the earliest times. 9 

O 

Crishna, the virgin-born, “ the Divine Vishnu himself,” 4 
“he who is without beginning, middle or end,” 4 being moved 
“to relieve the earth of her load,” 5 came upon earth and redeemed 
man by his sufferings —to save him. 

The accounts of the deaths of most all the virgin-born Saviours 
of whom we shall speak, are conflicting. It is stated in one place 
that such an one died in such a manner, and in another place we 
may find it stated altogether differently. Even the accounts of the 
death of Jesus, as w r e shall hereafter see, are conflicting; therefore, 
until the chapter on “ Explanation ” is read, these myths cannot 
really be thoroughly understood. 

As the Rev. Geo. W. Cox remarks, in his Aryan Mythology , 
Crishna is described, in one of his aspects, as a self-sacrificing and 
unselfish hero, a being who is filled with divine wisdom and love, 
who offers up a sacrifice which he alone can make. 6 

The Vishnu Pur ana 1 speak's of Crishna being shot in th efoot 
with an arrow, and states that this was the cause of his death. Other 
accounts, however, state that he was suspended on a tree, or in 
other words, crucified. 

Mons. Guigniaut, in his “ Religion de V Anti quite” says : 


“ The death of Crishna is very differently related. One remarkable and con¬ 
vincing tradition makes him perish on a tree, to which he was nailed by the 
stroke of an arrow.” 7 8 

Rev. J. P. Lundy alludes to this passage of Guigniaut’s in his 
“ Monumental Christianity,” and translates the passage “ un hois 
fatal ” (see note below) “ a cross.” Although we do not think he 
is justified in doing this, as M. Guigniaut has distinctly stated that 
this “ bois fatal” (which is applied to a gibbet, a cross, a scaffold, 
etc.) was “un arbre” (a tree), yet, he is' justified in doing so on 
other accounts, for we find that Crishna is represented hanging on 
a cross, and we know that a cross was frequently called the “ ac- 


1 Hinduism, p. 214. 

2 Ibid. p. 115. 

3 Vishnu Parana, p. 440. 

* Ibid. 

6 Ibid. 

8 Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 132. 


7 Pages 274 and G12. 

8 “On reconte fort diversement la mortde 
Crishna. Une tradition remarquable et averee 
le fait perir sur un bois fatal (un arbre), ou ii 
fut clone d'un coup de fleche.” (Quoted by- 
Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 144.) 




THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


185 


cursed tree? It was an ancient custom to use trees as gibbets for 
crucifixion, or, if artificial, to call the cross a tree. 1 

A writer in Deuteronomy 2 speaks of hanging criminals upon a 
tree, as though it was a general custom, and says : 

“ He that is hanged (on a tree) is accursed of God.” 

And Paul undoubtedly refers to this text when he says: 

“ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; 
for it is written, ‘ Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.’ ” 3 

It is evident, then, that to be hung on a cross was anciently 
called hanging on a tree , and to be hung on a tree was called cru¬ 
cifixion. M r e may therefore conclude from this, and from what 
we shall now see, that Crishna was said to have been crucified. 

In the earlier copies of Moor’s “ Hindu Pantheon? is to be seen 
representations of Crishna (as Wittobd)* with marks of holes in 
both feet, and in others, of holes in the hands. In Figures 4 and 5 
of Plate 11 (Moor’s work), the figures have nail-holes in both feet. 
Figure 0 has a round hole in the side / to his collar or shirt hangs 
the emblem of a heart (which we often see in pictures of Christ 
Jesus) and on his head he has a Yoni-Linga (which we do not see 
in pictures of Christ Jesus.) 

Our Figure No. 7 (next page), is a pre-Christian crucifix of Asi¬ 
atic origin, 5 evidently intended to represent Crishna crucified. Figure 
No. 8 we can speak more positively of, it is surely Crishna crucified. 
It is unlike any Christian crucifix ever made, and, with that de¬ 
scribed above with the Yoni-Linga attached to the head, would 
probably not be claimed as such. Instead of the crown of thorns 
usually put on the head of the Christian Saviour, it has the turreted 
coronet of the Ejfiiesian Diana, the ankles are tied together by a 
cord, and the dress about the loins is exactly the style with which 
Crishna is almost always represented.'’ 

Itev. J. P. Lundy, speaking of the Christian crucifix, says: 


r See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 499, 
and Mrs. Jameson’s ‘-History of Our Lord in 
Art,” ii. 817, where the cross is called the 
“ accursed tree.” 

2 Chap. xxi. 22, 23 : “ If a man have com¬ 
mitted a sin worthy of death, and he be to be 
put to death, and thou hang him on a tree : 
his body shall not remain all night upon the 
tree, but thou sluilt in any wise bury him that 
day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) 
that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord 
thy God givetttahee for an inheritance.” 

3 Galatians, lii. 13. 

* See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 14G, 
and Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 403. 


“The crucified god Wittoba is also called 
Balii. He is worshiped in a marked manner at 
Pander-poor or Bunder-poor, near Poonah.” 
(Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 750, note 1.) 

“A form of Vishnu (Crishna), called Vith- 
thal or Yithoba, is the popular god at Pandhar- 
pur in Mahfl-rashtra, the favorite of the cele¬ 
brated Marathi poet Tukarama.” (Prof. 
Monier Williams : Indian Wisdom, p. xlviii.) 

5 See Lundy : Monumental Christianity, p. 
ICO. 

6 This can be seen by referring to Calmet, 
Sonnerat, or Higgins, vol. ii., which contain 
plates representing Crishna. 






180 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ I object to the crucifix because it is an image , aud liable to gross abuse, just 
as the old Hindoo crucifix was an idol 




“Crishna, whose history so closely resembles our Lord’s, was also like him in 
his being crucified.” 2 

The Evangelist 3 relates that when Jesus was crucified two 
others (malefactors) were crucified with him, one of whom, through 
his favor, went to heaven. One of the malefactors reviled him, 
but the other said to Jesus: “Lord, remember me when thou cont¬ 
est into thy kingdom.” And Jesus said unto him : “Verily I say 
unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” According 
to the Vishnu Pur ana , the hunter who shot the arrow at Crishna 
afterwards said unto him : “ Have pity upon me, who am consumed 
by my crime, for thou art able to consume me l” Crishna re¬ 
plied : “ Fear not thou in the least. Go, hunter , through my favor , 
to heaven , the abode of the gods.” As soon as he had thus spoken, 
a celestial car appeared, and the hunter, ascending it, forthwith 
proceeded to heaven. Then the illustrious Crishna, having united 
himself with his own pure, spiritual, inexhaustible, inconceivable, 
unborn, undecaying, imperishable and universal spirit, which is 
one with Vasudeva (God), 4 abandoned his mortal body, and the 
condition of the threefold equalities. 5 One of the titles of Crishna 


1 Monumental Christianity, p. 128. 4 Vasudeva means God. See Vislinu Purana, 

3 Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 411. p. 274. 

i • Luke, xxiii. 3'J-43. 3 Vishnu Purana, p. G12. 
















































THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


187 


is “ Pardoner of sins” another is “ Liberator from the Serpent of 
deaths 1 

The monk Georgius, in his Tibetinum Alphabetum (p. 203), 




has given plates of a crucified god who was worshiped in Nepal. 
These crucifixes were to be seen at the corners of roads and on 
eminences. lie calls it the god Indra. Figures Ho. 9 and No. 10 
are taken from this work. They are also different from any 
Christian crucifix yet produced. Georgius says : 

“ If the matter stands as Beausobre thinks, then the inhabitants of India, and 
the Buddhists, whose religion is the same as that of the inhabitants of Thibet, 
have received these new portents of fanatics nowhere else than from the Mani- 
clieans. For those nations, especially in the city of Nepal, in the month of Au¬ 
gust, being about to celebrate the festival days of the god Indra, erect crosses, 
wreathed with Abrotono, to his memory, everywhere. You have the description of 
these in letter B, the picture following aftei; for A is the representation of Indra 
himself crucified, bearing on his forehead, hands and feet the signs Telcc/i.” 2 

P. Andrada la Crozius, one of the first Europeans who went to 
Nepal and Thibet, in speaking of the god whom they worshiped 
there— Indra —tells us that they said he spilt his blood for the salva- 


1 See Pro". Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 72. 

2 “Si ita sc res habet, ut existimat Beau- 
sobrius, Indi, et Budistce quorum religio, 
eadem est no Tibetana, nonnisi a Manichseis 
nova haec deliriorum portenta acceperunt. Ilae- 
namque gentes prasertim in urbe Nepal, Luna 
XII. Budr sen Bhadon Angus 0 mensis, dies 
festos auspicatune Dei Indue, erigunt ad illius 


memoriam ubique locorum cruces amicta9 
Abrotono. Earum figuram descriptam babes 
ad lit. B, Tabula pone sequenti. Nam A effi¬ 
gies est ipsius Indrct crucillxi sign a Telech in 
fronto manibus pedibusque gerentis.” (Alph 
Tibet, p. 203. Quoted in Higgins’ Anacalypsia, 
vol. i. p. 130.) 





























188 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


tion of the human race, and that lie was pierced through the body 
with nails. lie further says that, although they do not say he suf¬ 
fered the penalty of the cross, yet they find, nevertheless, figures 
of it in their books. 1 * 

In regard to Beausobre’s ideas that the religion of India is 
corrupted Christianity, obtained from the Manicheans, little need 
be said, as all scholars of the present day know that the religion 
of India is many centuries older than Mani or the Manicheans. 3 

In the promontory of India, in the South, at Tanjore, and in 
the North, at Oude or Ayoudia, was found the worship of the 
crucified god Baldi. This god, who was believed to have been 
an incarnation of Vishnu, was represented with holes in his hands 
and side. 3 

The incarnate god Buddha, although said to have expired 
peacefully at the foot of a tree, is nevertheless described as a suffer¬ 
ing Saviour, who, “ when his mind was moved by pity (for the 
human race) gave his life like grass for the sake of others V 4 

A hymn, addressed to Buddha, says : 

“ Persecutions without end, 

Revilings and many prisons, 

Death and murder, 

These hast thou suffered with love and patience 
(To secure the happiness of mankind), 

Forgiving thine executioners.” 5 

He was called the “Great Physician,” 6 the “Saviour of 
the World,” 7 the “Blessed One,” 8 the “God among Gods,” 9 
the “Anointed,” or the “Christ,” 10 the “Messiah,” 11 the “ Only Be¬ 
gotten,” 12 etc. He is described by the author of the “ Cambridge 
Key ” 13 as sacrificing his life to wasli away the offenses of mankind, 
and thereby to make them partakers of the kingdom of heaven. 


1 “ Ils conviennent qu’il a repandn eon sang 
pour le salut dn genre humain, ayant etc perce 
do clous par tout eon corps. Quoiqu’ils ne 
dieent pas qu’il a soufliert le eupplice de la 
croix. on en trouve pourtant la figure dans lours 
livres.” (Quoted in Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. 
ii, p. 118.) 

u “ Although the nations of Europe have 
changed their religions during the past eighteen 
centuries, the Hindoo has not done so, except 
very partially. . . . The religious creeds, 
ritee, customs, and habits of thought of the 
Hindoos generally, have altered little since the 
days of Manu, COD years n. c.” (Prof. Monier 
Williams : Indian Wisdom, p. iv.) 

3 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. pp. 147, 


672, 067 and 750; vol. ii. p. 122, and note 4, 
p. 185, this chapter. 

4 See Max Muller’s Science of Religion, p. 
224. 

0 Quoted in Lillie’s Buddhism, p. 93. 

0 See Bunsen’s Angel-Mcssiali, p. 20. 

7 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiali, pp. 20, 25, 35. 
Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 247. Hue’s Travels, 
vol. i. pp. 320, 327, and almost any work on 
Buddhism. 

B See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 20. 

9 Ibid. Johnson’s Oriental Religions, p. 004. 
See also Asiatic Researches, vol. iii., or chap¬ 
ter xii. of this work. 

10 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 18. 

11 Ibid. 

1 3 Ibid. 


73 Vol. i. p. 113. 





THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


189 


This induces him to say “ Can a Christian doubt that this Buddha 
was the type of the Saviour of the World. 5 ’ 1 

As a spirit in the fourth heaven, he resolves to give up 
u all that glory, in order to be born into the world,” “ to rescue 
all men from their misery and every future consetpience of it.” 
lie vows “to deliver all men, who are left as it were without a 
Sa/viour ” 2 

While in the realms of the blest, and when about to descend 
upon earth to be born as man, he said : 

“ I am now about to assume a body; not for the sake of gaining wealth, or 
enjoying the pleasures of sense, but I am about to descend and be born, among 
men, simply to give peace and rest to all flesh; to remove all sorrow and grief from 
the world”* 

M. I 1 3 Abbe Hue says : 

“ In the eyes of the Buddhists, this personage (Buddha) is sometimes a man 
and sometimes a god, or rather both one and the other—a divine incarnation, a 
man-god—who came into the world to enlighten men, to redeem them , and to 
indicate to them the way of safety. This idea of redemption by a divine incarna¬ 
tion is so general and popular among the Buddhists, that during our travels in 
Upper Asia we everywhere found it expressed in a neat formula. If we ad¬ 
dressed to a Mongol or a Thibetan the question * Who is Buddha? ’ he would im¬ 
mediately reply: ‘ The Saviour of Men ! ’ ” 4 5 6 7 

According to Prof. Max Muller, Buddha is reported as say¬ 
ing : 

‘ 'Let all the sins that were committed in this world fall on me, that the world 
may be delivered .” 5 

The Indians are no strangers to the doctrine of original sin. 
It is their invariable belief that man is a fallen being • admitted 
by them from time immemorial. 0 And what we have seen con¬ 
cerning their beliefs in Crishna and Buddha unmistakably shows 
a belief in a divine Saviour , who redeems man , and takes upon 
himself the sins of the world ; so that “ Baddha paid it all, all to 
him is due.” 7 


1 Quoted in Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 118. 

3 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 20. 

3 Beal : Hist. Buddha, p. 33. 

4 Hue’s Travels, vol. i. pp. 326, 327. 

5 Muller : Hist. Sanscrit Literature, p. 80. 

6 See Maurice : Indian Antiquities, vol. v. 
p. 95, and Williams : Hinduism, p. 214. 

7 “He in mercy left paradise, and came 
down to earth, because he was filled with com¬ 
passion for the sins and miseries of mankind. 
He sought to lead them into better paths, and 
took their sufferings upon himself , that he might 


expiate their crimes , and mitigate the punish¬ 
ment they must otherwise inevitably undergo.” 
(Prog. Itclig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 8G.) 

“ The object of his mission on earth was to 
instruct those who were straying from the right 
path, expiate the sins of mortals by his own 
Bufferings, and produce for them a happy en¬ 
trance into another existence by obedience to 
his precepts and prayers in his name. They 
always speak of him as one with God from all 
eternity. His most common title is ‘ The Sa¬ 
viour of the World;" (Ibid. vol. i. p. 247.) 


I 






190 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The idea of redemption through the sufferings and death of a 
Divine Saviour, is to be found even in ihe ancient religions of 
China. One of their five sacred volumes, called the Y-King , says, 
in speaking of Tien , ihe “ Holy One ”: 

“ The Holy One will unite in himself all the virtues of heaven and earth. By 
his justice the world will be re-established in the ways of righteousness. He will 
labor and suffer much. He must pass the great torrent, whose waves shall enter 
into his soul; but lie alone can offer up to the Lord a sacrifice worthy of him ." 1 * 

An ancient commentator says : 

“ The common people sacrifice their lives to gain bread; the philosophers to 
gain reputation; the nobility to perpetuate their families. The Holy One (Tien) 
does not seek himself, but the good of others. IJe dies to save the world."* 

Tien , the Holy One, is always spoken of as one with God, 
existing with him from all eternity, “before anything was 
made.” 

Osiris and Ilorus , the Egyptian virgin-born gods, suffered 
death. 3 Mr. Bonwick, speaking of Osiris , says : 

“He is one of the Saviours or deliverers of humanity, to be found in almost 
all lands.” “In his efforts to do good, he encounters evil; in struggling with 
that he is overcome; he is killed.” 4 

Alexander Murray says: 

“Ihe Egyptian Saviour Osiris was gratefully regarded as the great exemplar 
of self-sacriiice, in giving his life for others .” 5 

Sir J. G. Wilkinson says of him: 

“ The sufferings and death of Osiris were the great Mystery of the Egyptian 
religion, and some traces of it are perceptible among other peoples of antiquity. 
His being the Divine Goodness , and the abstract idea of ‘good,’ his manifestation 
upon earth (like a Hindoo god), his death and resurrection, and his office as 
judge of the dead in a future state, look like the early revelation of a future mani¬ 
festation of the deity converted into a mythological fable." 6 

Ilorus was also called “ The Saviour.” “ As Ilorus Sneb, he 
is the Redeemer. He is the Lord of Life and the Eternal One.” T 
He is also called “ The Only-Begotten.” 8 

Attys, who was called the “ Only Begotten Son” 9 and “Saviour” 
was worshiped by the Phrygians (who were regarded as one of the 


1 Quoted ill Preg. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 211. 

a Ibid. 

3 See Itenouf : Religions of Ancient Egypt, 
p. 178. 

4 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 155. 

* Murray : Manual of Mythology, p. 348. 


6 In Rawlinson’s Herodotus, vol. ii. p. 171. 
Quoted in Knight’s Art and Mythology, p. 71. 

7 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 185. 

8 See Mysteries of Adoni, p. 88. 

9 Sec Knight : Ancient Art and Mythology,, 
p. xxii. note. 




THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


191 


oldest races of Asia Minor). He was represented by them as a man 
tied to a tree , at the foot of wliicli was a lamb, 1 2 * and, without doubt, 
also as a man nailed to the tree , or stake, for we find Lactantius mak¬ 
ing this Apollo of Miletus (anciently, the greatest and most flour¬ 
ishing city of Ionia, in Asia Minor) say that: 

“He was a mortal according to the flesh; wise in miraculous works; but, 
being arrested by an armed force by command of the Chaldean judges, he suffered 
a death made bitter with nails and stakes.”* 

In this god of the Phrygians, we again have the myth of the 
crucified Saviour of Paganism. 

By referring to Mrs. Jameson’s “ History of Our Lord in Art,” 9 
or to illustrations in chapter xl. this work, it will be seen thatacom- 
mon mode of representing a crucifixion was that of a man, tied 
with cords by the hands and feet, to an upright beam or stake. 
The lamb , spoken of above, which signifies considerable, we shall 
speak of in its proper place. 

Tammuz , or Adonis , the Syrian and Jewish Adonai (in He¬ 
brew “ Our Lord ”), was another virgin-born god, who suffered for 
mankind, and who had the title of Saviour. The accounts of his 
death are conflicting, just as it is with almost all of the so-called 
Saviours of mankind ( including the Christian Saviour , as we shall 
hereafter see) one account, however, makes him a crucified Saviour. K 

It is certain, however, that the ancients who honored him as 
their Lord and Saviour, celebrated, annually, a feast in commem¬ 
oration of his death. An image, intended as a representation of 
their Lord, was laid on a bed or bier, and bewailed in mournful 
ditties—just as the Homan Catholics do at the present day in their 
“ Good Friday ” mass. 

During this ceremony the priest murmured : 

“ Trust ye in your Lord, for the pains which he endured, our salvation have 
procured. ” 5 

The Hev. Dr. Parkhurst, in his “ Hebrew Lexicon,” after re¬ 
ferring to what we have just stated above, says : 

“ I find myself obliged to refer Tammuz to that class of idols which were 
originally designed to represent the promised Saviour, the Desire of all Nations. 
His other name, Adonis, is almost the very Hebrew Adoni or Lord, a well-known 
title of Christ.” 6 


1 Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 255. 
3 Vol. ii. 

2 Lactant. Inst., div. iv. chap. xiii. in Anac- 

alypsis, vol. i. p. 544. 


4 See chapter xxxix, this work. 

6 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 114, 
and Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 1G3. 

6 See the chapter on “ The Resurrection of 
Jesus.” 



192 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Prometheus was a crucified Saviour. lie was “an immortal 
god, a friend of the human race, who does not shrink even from 
sacrificing himself for their salvation 

The tracedv of the crucifixion of Prometheus, written by 
iEschylus, was acted in Athens five hundred years before the 
Christian Era, and is by many considered to be the most ancient 
dramatic poem now in existence. The plot was derived from ma¬ 
terials even at that time of an infinitely remote antiquity. Noth¬ 
ing was ever so exquisitely calculated to work upon the feelings 
of the spectators. No author ever displayed greater powers of 
poetry, with equal strength of judgment, in supporting through the 
piece the august character of the Divine Sufferer. The specta¬ 
tors themselves were unconsciously made a party to the interest of 
the scene: its hero was their friend, their benefactor, their creator, 
and their Saviour; his wrongs were incurred in their quarrel— 
his sorrows were endured for their salvation • “ he was wounded 
for their transgressions, and bruised for their iniquities ; the chas¬ 
tisement of their peace was upon him, and by his stripes they were 
healed ; ” “ he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his 
mouth.” The majesty of his silence, whilst the ministers of an 
offended god were nailing him by the hands and feet to Mount 
Caucasus , 1 2 could be only equaled by the modesty with which he 
relates, while hanging with arms extended in the form of a cross , 
his services to the human race, which had brought on him that 
horrible crucifixion. 3 “ None, save myself,” says he, “ opposed 
his (Jove’s) will,” 

“ I dared; 

And boldly pleading saved them from destruction, 

Saved them from sinking to the realms of night. 

For this offense I bend beneath these pains, 

Dreadful to sulfer, piteous to behold: 

For mercy to mankind I am not deem’d 
Worthy of mercy; but with ruthless hate 
In this uncouth appointment am fix’d here 
A spectacle dishonorable to Jove.” 4 


1 Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Prometheus.” 

2 “ Prometheus has been a favorite subject 
with the poets. lie is represented as the friend 
of mankind, who interposed in their behalf 

when Jove was incensed against them.” (Bul- 
finch : The Age of Fable, p. 32.) 

“ In the mythos relating to Prometheus, he 
always appears as the friend of the human 
race, suffering in its behalf the most fearful 
tortures.” (John Fiske: Myths and Myth- 
makers, pp. (54, 65.) “ Prometheus was nailed 
to the rocks on Mount Caucasus, with arms 


extended .” (Alexander Murray: Manual of 
Mythology, p. 82.) “ Prometheus is said to have 
been nailed up with arms extended, near the 
Caspian Straits, on Mount Caucasus. The 
history of Prometheus on t he Cathedral at Bor¬ 
deaux (France) here receives its explanation.” 
(Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 113.) 

3 See ^Eschylus’ “Prometheus Chained,” 
Translated by the Rev. R. Potter: Harper & 
Bros., N. Y. 

4 Ibid. p. 82. 




THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


193 


In the catastrophe of the plot, his especially professed friend, 
Oeeanus, the Fisherman —as liis name Petrceus indicates, 1 —being 
unable to prevail on him to make his peace with Jupiter, by throw¬ 
ing the cause of human redemption out of his hands, 2 forsook him 
and fled. Hone remained to be witness of his dying agonies but 
the chorus of ever-amiable and ever-faithful which also bewailed 
and lamented him, 3 but were unable to subdue his inflexible phil¬ 
anthropy. 4 * 

In the words of Justin Martyr: “Suffering was common to all 
the sons of Jove.” They were called the “Slain Ones,” “Sav¬ 
iours,” “ Redeemers,” &c. 

Bacchus , the offspring of Jupiter and Semele, 6 * was called the 
“ Saviour He was called the “ Only Begotten Son” 1 the “ Slain 
One,” 8 the “Sin Bearer,” 9 the “Redeemer,” 10 * &c. Evil having 
spread itself over the earth, through the inquisitiveness of Pandora, 
the Lord of the gods is begged to come to the relief of mankind. 
Jupiter lends a willing ear to the entreaties, “ and wishes that 
his son should be the redeemer of the misfortunes of the world; 
The Bacchus Saviour. He promises to the earth a Liberator . . . 

The universe shall worship him, and shall praise in songs his 
blessings.” In order to execute his purpose, Jupiter overshad¬ 
ows the beautiful young maiden—the virgin Semele—who be¬ 
comes the mother of the Redeemer T 
0 

“It is I (says the lord Bacchus to mankind), who guides you; it is I who 
protects you, and who saves you; I who am Alpha and Omega.’' 12 

Hercules , the son of Zeus, was called “ The Saviour.” 13 The 
words “ Hercules the Saviour ” were engraven on ancient coins 
and monuments. 14 He was also called “ The Only Begotten,” and 
the “ Universal Word.” He was re-absorbed into God. He was 
said by Ovid to be the “ Self-produced,” the Generator and Ruler 
of all things, and the Father of time. 15 


1 Petrseus was an interchangeable synonym 
of the name Oeeanus. 

2 “ Then Peter took him, and began to re¬ 
buke him, saying: Be it far from thee, Lord ; 
this shall not be unto thee.” (Matt. xvi. 22.) 

3 “ And there followed him a great company 

of people, and of women, which also bewailed 
and lamented him.” (Luke, xxiii. 27.) 

♦ See Taylor's Diegesis, pp. 193, 194, or Pot¬ 
ter's ^Eschylus. 

6 “ They say that the god (Bacchus), the off¬ 

spring of Zeus and Demeter, was torn to 

pieces.” (Diodorus Siculus, in Knight, p. 156, 

note.) 

e See Knight : Anct. Art and Mythology, p. 

93, note. Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, 

258. Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 102. 

i Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, p. 


xxii. note . 

3 Ibid. 

8 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 169. 

10 Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 135. 
“ Ibid. 

12 Beausobre quotes the inscription on a 
monument of Bacchus, thus : “ C’est rnoi, dit il, 
qui vous conduis, C'estmoi, qui vous conserve, 
ou qui vous sauve; Je sui Alpha et Omega, 
&c.” (See chap, xxxix this work.) 

13 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 322. 
Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 195. 
Bonwick: Egyptian Belief, p. 152. Dunlap : 
Mysteries of Adoni, p. 94. 

14 See Celtic Druids, Taylor's Diegesis, p. 
153, and Montfaucon, vol. i. 

15 See Mysteries of Adoni, p. 91. and Hig¬ 
gins : Anac., vol. i. p. 322. 



194 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


MZsculapius was distinguished by the epithet “ The Saviour.” 1 2 3 
The temple erected to his memory in the city of Athens was called : 
“ The Temple of the Saviour.”' 

Apollo was distinguished by the epithet “ The Saviour.” 3 In 
a hymn to Apollo lie is called: “ The willing Saviour of dis¬ 
tressed mankind.” 4 

Serapis was called “ The Saviour.” 5 He was considered by 
Hadrian, the Homan emperor (117-138 a. d.), and the Gentiles, to 
be the peculiar god of the Christians. 6 A cross was found under 
the ruins of his temple in Alexandria in Egypt. 7 Fig. Ho. 11 is a 

representation of this Egyptian Saviour, taken 
from Murray’s “Manual of Mythology.” It 
certainty resembles the pictures of “ the peculiar 
God of the Christians.” It is very evident that 
the pictures of Christ Jesus, as we know them 
to-day, are simply the pictures of some of the 
Pagan gods, who were, for certain reasons which 
we shall speak of in a subsequent chapter, always 
represented with long yellow or red hair , and 
a florid complexion. If such a person as Jesus of Nazareth ever 
lived in the flesh, he was undoubtedly a Jew, and would there¬ 
fore have Jewish features ; this his pictures do not betray. 8 

Mithras , who was “ Mediator between God and man,” 9 was 
called “The Saviour.” He was the peculiar god of the Persians, 
who believed that he had, by his sufferings, worked their salvation, 
and on this account he was called their SaviourT He was also 
called “ The Logos .”" 

The Persians believed that they were tainted with original sin , 
owing to the fall of their first parents who were tempted by the 
evil one in the form of a serpent. 12 

They considered their law-giver Zoroaster to be also a Divine 
Messenger , sent to redeem men from their evil ways, and they always 
worshiped his memory. To this day his followers mention him 
with the greatest reverence, calling him “ The Immortal Zoroaster 



1 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 153. 

2 See the chapter on “ Miracles of Jesus.” 

3 See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 
2G4. 

4 See Monumental Christianity, p. 186. 

6 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 15. 

8 See Giles : Hebrew and Christian Records, 
vol. ii. p. 86. 

7 See Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 15, and our 

chapter on Christian Symbols. 

« This subject will be referred to again in 


chapter xxxix. 

9 See Dunlap’s Spirit nist., pp. 237, 241. 242, 
and Mysteries of Adoni, p. 123, note. 

10 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99. 

11 See Dunlap’s Son of the Man, p. 20. 

“ According to the most ancient tradition 
of the East-Iranians recorded in the Zend- 
Avesta, the God of Light (Ormuzd) communi¬ 
cated his mysteries to some men through his 
Word." (Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 75.) 

J2 Wake : Phallism, &e., p. 47. 









THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JES'US. 


195 


“ The Blessed Zoroaster” “ The First-Born of tlie Eternal One,” 

&C . 1 2 

“ In the life of Zoroaster the common mythos is apparent. He 
was born in innocence, of an immaculate conception, of a ray of 
the Divine Reason. As soon as he was born, the glory arising 
from his body enlightened the room, and he laughed at his mother. 
He was called a Splendid Light from the Tree of Knowledge, and, 
in line, he or his soul was suspensus a lingo , hung upon a tree, 
and this was the Tree of Knowledge.” 3 

How much this resembles “ the mystery which hath been hid 
from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his 
saints.” 3 * 

Hermes was called “ The Saviour .” On the altar of Pepi (b. c. 
3500) are to be found prayers to Hermes—“ He who is the good 
Saviour.” K He was also called “ The LogosP The church fa¬ 
thers, ITippolytus, Justin Martyr, and Plutarch (de Iside et Osir) 
assert that the Logos is Hermes . 6 The term “ Logos ” is Greek, 
and signifies literally “ Word.”* He was also “The Messenger of 
God .” 7 

Dr. Inman says: 

“There are few words which strike more strongly upon the senses of an 
inquirer into the nature of ancient faiths, than Salvation and Saviour. Both 
were used long before the birth of Christ, and they are still common among 
those who never heard of Jesus, or of that which is known among us as the 
Gospels.” 8 

He also tells us that there is a very remarkable figure copied in 
Payne Knight’s work, in which we see on a man’s shoulders a cock's 
head, whilst on the pediment are placed the words: “ The Saviour 
of the World .” 9 

Besides the titles of “ God’s First-Born,” “ Only Begotten,” 
the “ Mediator,” the “ Shepherd,” the “ Advocate,” the “ Para¬ 
clete or Comforter,” the “ Son of .God,” the “Logos,” &c., 10 being 
applied to heathen virgin-born gods, before the time assigned for 
the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, we have also that of Christ and 
Jesus. 


1 Prog. Rclig. Ideas, vol. i. pp. 258, 259. 

2 Maicom : Hist. Persia, vol. i. Ap. p. 494 ; 

Nimrod, vol. ii. p. 31. Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 649. 

s Col. i. 26. 

< See Bomvick : Egyptian Belief, p. 102. 

6 See Dunlap’s Son of the Man, p. 39, mar¬ 

ginal note. 

6 “ In the beginning was the Word, and the 

Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 

(John. i. 1.) 


7 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. 69 and 71. 

8 Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 652. 

6 Ibid, vol, i. p. 537. 

10 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 119. 
Knight’s Ancient Art and Mythology, pp. xxii. 
and 98. Dunlap’s Son of the Man, p. 71, and 
Spirit History, pp. 183, 205, 206, 249. Bible for 
Learners, vol. ii. p. 25. Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. 
pp. 195, 237, 516, besides the authorities already 
cited. 





196 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Cyrus , King of Persia, was called the “ Christ,” or the 
“ Anointed of God.” 1 As Dr. Giles says, “ Christ ” is “ a name 
having no spiritual signification, and importing nothing more than 
an ordinary surname .” 2 The worshipers of Serajois were called 
“ Christians ,” and those devoted to Serapis were called “ Bishops 
of Christ.” 3 Eusebius , the ecclesiastical historian, says, that the 
names of “ Jesus” and “ Christ,” were both known and honored 
among the ancients. 4 

Mithras was called the “ Anointed ” or the “ Christ; ” 5 and 
Ilorus , Mano , Mithras , Bel-Minor , lao, Adoni, &c., were each 
of them “ God of Light,” “ Light of the World,” the u Anointed,” 
or the “ Christ.” 6 

It is said that Peter called his Master the Christ , whereupon 
u hc straightway charged them (the disciples), and commanded 
them to tell no man that thing .” 1 

The title of “ Christ ” or “ The Anointed,” was held by the 
kings of Israel. “ Touch not my Christ and do my prophets no 
harm,” says the Psalmist. 8 

The term “ Christ ” was applied to religious teachers, leaders of 

factions, necromancers or wonder-workers, &c. This is seen by the 

passage in Matthew , where the writer says: 

* 

“There shall arise false Christs' and false prophets, and snail show great 
signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the 
very elect.” 9 

The virgin-born Crishna and Buddha were incarnations of 
Vishnu, called Avatars. An Avatar is an Angel-Messiah, a God- 
man, a Christ ; for the word Christ is from the Greek Christos , an 
Anointed One, a Messiah. 

The name Jesus , which is pronounced in Hebrew Yezua , and is 
sometimes Grecized into Jason , was very common. After the 
Captivity it occurs quite frequently, and is interchanged with the 
name Joshua. Indeed Joshua, -the successor of Moses, is called 
Jesus in the Hew Testament more than once, 10 though the mean¬ 
ing of the two names is not really quite the same. We know of a 
Jesus, son of Sirach, a writer of proverbs, whose collection is 


1 See Bunsen’s Bible Chronology, p. 5. 
Keys of St. Peter, 125. Volney’s Ruins, p. 168. 

2 Giles : Hebrew and Christian Records, p. 
64, vol. ii. 

3 Ibid. p. 86, and Taylor’s Diegesis, pp. 202, 
206, 407. Dupuis : p. 267. 

4 Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 1, ch. iv. 

6 See Dunlap’s Son of the Man, p. 78. 

8 See Ibid. p. 39. 


7 Luke, iv. 21. 

3 Psalm, cv. 15. The term “ an Anointed 
One,” which we use in English, is Christos in 
Greek, and Messiah in Hebrew. (See Bible for 
Learners, and Religion of Israel, p. 147.) 

9 Matthew, xxiv. 24. 

10 Acts, vii. 45; Hebrews, iv. 8; compare 
Nehemiah, viii. 17. 



TIIE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


197 


preserved among the apocryphal books of the Old Testament. 
The notorious Farabbas 1 or son of Abbas, was himself called Jesus. 
Among Paul’s opponents we find a magician called Elyinas, the 
Son of Jesus. Among the early Christians a certain Jesus, also 
called Justus, appears. Flavius Josephus mentions more than ten 
distinct persons—priests, robbers, peasants, and others—who bore 
the name of Jesus, all of whom lived during the last century of the 
Jewish state . 2 

To return now to our theme— crucified gods before the time 
of Jesus of Nazareth. 

The holy Father Minucius Felix , in his Octavius , written as 
late as a. d. 211, indignantly resents the supposition that the sign 
of the cross should be considered exclusively as a Christian symbol , 
and represents his advocate of the Christian argument as re¬ 
torting on an infidel opponent. His words are: 

“As for the adoration of crosses which you (Pagans) object against us 
( Christians ), I must tell you, that we neither adore crosses nor desire them ; you it 
is, ye Pagans . . . who are the most likely people to adore wooden crosses 

. . . for what else are your ensigns, flags, and standards, but crosses gilt and 

beautiful. Your victorious trophies not only represent a simple cross, but a cross 
with a man upon it. ” 3 

The existence, in the writings of Minucius Felix, of this 
passage, is probably owing to an overeight of the destroyers of 
all evidences against the Christian religion that could be had. The 
practice of the Homans, here alluded to, of carrying a cross with a 
man on it , or, in other words, a crucifix , has evidently been con¬ 
cealed from us by the careful destruction of such of their works as 
alluded to it. The priests had everything their own way for 
centuries, and to destroy what was evidence against their claims 
was a very simple matter. 

It is very evident that this celebrated Christian Father alludes 
to some Gentile mystery, of which the prudence of his successors 
has deprived us. When we compare this with the fact that for 
centuries after the time assigned for the birth of Christ Jesus, he 
was not represented as a man on a cross, and that the Christians 
did not have such a thing as a crucifix , we are inclined to think 
that the effigies of a black or dark-skinned crucified man , which 
were to be seen in many places in Italy even during the last 
century, may have had something to do with it . 4 


1 He, whom it is said, was liberated at the Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 116, where 

time of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. this passage is quoted from the writings of 

2 See Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 60. Minucius Felix. 

3 See Taylor’s Diegesis, pp. 198, 199, and 4 See Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 116. 







198 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


While speaking of “ a cross with a man on it ” as being carried 
by the Pagan Romans as a standard , we might mention the fact, 
related by Arrian the historian, 1 2 that the troops of Porus, in their 
war with Alexander the Great, carried on their standards the 
figure of a man? Here is evidently the crucifix standard again. 

“This must have been (says Mr. Higgins) a Staurobates or Salivahana, 
and looks very like the figure of a man carried on their standards by the Romans. 
This was similar to the dove carried on the standards of the Assyrians. This 
must have been the crucifix of Nepaul .” 3 

Tertullian, a Christian Father of the second and third centuries, 
writing to the Pagans, says: 

“The origin of your gods is derived from figures moulded on a cross. All 
those rows of images on your standards are the appendages of crosses; those 
hangings on your standards and banners are the robes of crosses .” 4 

We have it then, on the authority of a Christian Father, as late 
as a. d. 211, that the Christians “ neither adored crosses nor desired 
them” but that the Pagans “ adored crosses, 55 and not that alone, 
but u a cross with a man upon it.” This we shall presently find to 
be the case. Jesus, in those days, nor for centuries after, was not rep¬ 
resented as a man on a cross. He was represented as a lamb , and 
the adoration of the crucifix, by the Christians, was a later addition 
to their religion. But this we shall treat of in its place. 

We may now ask the question, who was this crucified man 
whom the Pagans “ adored ” before and after the time of Jesus of 
Nazareth? Who did the crucifix represent? It was, undoubtedly, 
“ the Saviour crucified for the salvation of mankind,” long before 
the Christian Era, whose efiigies were to be seen in many places 
all over Italy. These Pagan crucifixes were either destroyed, 
corrupted, or adopted ; the latter was the case with many ancient 
paintings of the Bambino , 5 on which may be seen the words Deo 
Soli. Now, these two words can never apply to Christ Jesus. He 
was not Deus Solus , in any sense, according to the idiom of 
the Latin language, and the Romish faith. Whether we construe 
the words to “ the only God,” or “ God alone,” they are equally 
heretical. No priest, in any age of the Church, would have 
thought of putting them there ; but finding them there , they tol¬ 
erated them. 

In the “Celtic Druids” Mr. Higgins describes a crucifix , a 
lamb, and an elephant , which was cut upon the “ fire tower ”—so- 

1 In his History of the Campaigns of Alex- 4 Quoted by Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 

under. 217. 

2 See Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 118. 6 See the chapter on “ The Worship of the 

8 Ibid. Virgin.” 




THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


190 


called—at Brecliin, a town of Forfarshire, in Scotland. Although 
they appeared to be of very ancient date, he supposed, at that 
time, that they were modern, and belonged to Christianity, but 
some years afterwards, he wrote as follows: 

“ I now doubt (the modem date of the tower), for we have, over and over 
again, seen the crucified man before Christ. We have also found ‘ The Lamb 
that taketh away the sins of the world,’ among the Carnutes of Gaul, before the 
time of Christ; and when I contemplate these, and the Elephant or Ganesa , x and the 
Ring* and its Cobra , 1 2 3 Linga , 4 Iona , 5 and Nandies, found not far from the tower, 
outlie estate of Lord Castles, with the Colidei, the island of Iona, and Ii, . . . 

I am induced to doubt my former conclusions. The Elephant, the Ganesa of 
India, is a very stubborn fellow to be found here. The Ring, too, when joined 
with other matters, I cannot get over. All these superstitions must have come 
from India ." 6 

On one of tlie Irish “ round towers ” is to be seen a crucifix 
of unmistakable Asiatic origin . 7 

If we turn to the Hew World, we shall find, strange though it 
may appear, that the ancient Mexicans and Peruvians worshiped 
a crucified Saviour. This was the virgin-born Quetzalcoatle 
whose crucifixion is represented in the paintings of the a Codex 
Borgianusf and the “ Codex VaticanusA 

These paintings illustrate the religious opinions of the ancient 
Mexicans, and were copied from the hieroglyphics found in Mexico. 
The Spaniards destroyed nearly all the books, ancient monuments 
and paintings which they could find ; had it not been for this, much 
more regarding the religion of the ancient Mexicans would have 
been handed down to us. Many chapters were also taken—by the 
Spanish authorities—from the writings of the first historians who 
wrote on ancient Mexico. All manuscripts had to be inspected 
previous to being published. Anything found among these heathens 
resembling the religion of the Christians, was destroyed when pos¬ 
sible. 8 

The first Spanish monks who went to Mexico were surprised 
to find the crucifix among the heathen inhabitants, and upon in¬ 
quiring what it meant, were told that it was a representation of 


1 Ganesa is the Indian God of Wisdom. 
(See Asiatic Researches, vol. i.) 

2 The Ring and circle was an emblem of 
god, or eternity, among the Hindoos. (See 
Lundy : Monumental Christianity, p. 87.) 

3 The Cobra, or hooded snake, is a native of 

the East Indies, where it is held as sacred. 

(See Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 1G, and 

Fergusson’s Tree and Serpent Worship. 

* Linga denotes, in the sectarian worship of 

the Hindoos , the Phallus , an emblem of the 


male or generative power of nature. 

6 Iona , or Yoni, is the counterpart of Linga, 
i. e., an emblem of the female generative power. 
We have seen that these were attached to the 
effigies of the Hindoo crucified Saviour, Crish- 
na. 

8 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 130. 

7 See Lundy : Monumental Christianity, pp. 
253, 254, 255. 

8 See Kingsborough : Mexican Antiquities, 
vol. vi. pp. 1C5 and 179. 







200 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


Bacob (Quetzalcoatle), tlie Son of God, who was put to death by 
Eopuco. They said that he was placed oil a beam of wood, with 
his arms stretched out , and that he died there. 1 

Lord Kingsborough, from whose very learned and elaborate 
work we have taken the above, says: 

“ Being questioned as to the manner in which they became acquainted with 
these things, they replied that the lords instructed their sons in them, and that 
thus this doctrine descended from one to another .” 2 

Sometimes Quetzalcoatle or Bacob is represented as tied to the 
cross—just as we have seen that Attys was represented by the 
Phrygians—and at other times he is represented “ in the attitude 
of a person crucified, with impressions of nail-holes in his hands 
and feet, but not actually upon a cross —just as we have found 
the Hindoo Crishna , and as he is represented in Fig. Ho. 8. Be¬ 
neath this representation of Quetzalcoatle crucified, is an image of 
Death, which an angry serpent seems threatening to devour. 3 * * 

On the 73d page of the Borgian MS., he is represented crucified 
on a cross of the Greek form. In this print there are also impres¬ 
sions of nails to be seen on the feet and hands , and his body is 
strangely covered with suns.* 

In vol. ii. plate 75, the god is crucified in a circle of nineteen 
figures, and a serpent is depriving him of the organs of generation. 

Lord Kingsborough, commenting on these paintings, says : 

“It is remarkable that in these Mexican paintings the faces of many of the 
figures are black , and that the visage of Quetzalcoatle is frequently painted in a 
very deformed manner .” 6 

Ilis lordship further tells us that (according to the belief of the 
ancient Mexicans), “ the death of Quetzalcoatle upon the cross ” 
was “ an atonement for the sins of mankind ,’ 16 

Dr. Daniel Brinton, in his “ Myths of the New World tells 
us that the Aztecs had a feast which they celebrated “ in the early 
spring” when “ victims were nailed to a cross and shot with an 
arrow N 

Alexander Yon Humboldt, in his “ American Researches ,” also 
speaks of this feast, when the Mexicans crucified a man ; and pierced 
him with an arrow. 8 


1 See Kingsborough : Mexican Antiquities, 
vol. vi. p. 1GG. 

2 Ibid. p. 1G2. 

a Ibid. p. 1G1. 

* Ibid. p. 107. 

s Ibid. p. 1G7. 

e Ibid. p. 1GG. 


7 Brinton : Myths of the New World, p. 95. 

8 See, also, Monumental Christianity, p. 
393. 

“Once a year the ancient Mexicans made an 
image of one of their gods, which was pierced 
by an arrow, shot by a priest of Quetzalcoatle.” 
(Dunlap's Spirit Hist., 207.) 



THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


201 


The author of Monumental Christianity , speaking of this, 
says: 

“ Here is the old story of the Prometheus crucified on the Caucasus, and of all 
other Pagan crucifixions of the young incarnate divinities of India, Persia, Asia 
Minor and Egypt .” 1 

This we believe ; but how did this myth get there f lie does 
not say, but we shall attempt to show, in a future chapter, how this 
and other myths of Eastern origin became known in the Hew 
World. 2 3 

It must not be forgotten, in connection with what we have seen 
concerning the Mexican crucified god being sometimes represented as 
black, and the feast when the crucified man was shot with an arrow, 
that effigies of a black crucified man were found in Italy ; that 
Crishna, the crucified, is very often represented black / and that 
Crishna was shot with an arrow. 

Crosses were also found in Yucatan , as well as Mexico, with a 
man upon them.* Cogolludo, in his “History of Yucatan,” speak¬ 
ing of a crucifix found there, says : 

“ Don Eugenio de Alcantara (one of the true teachers of the Gospel), told me, 
not only once, that I might safely write that the Indians of Cozumel possessed 
this holy cross in the time of their paganism; and that some years had elapsed 
since it was brought to Medira; for having heard from many persons what was 
reported of it, he had made particular inquiries of some very old Indians who 
resided there, who assured him that it was the fact.” 

He then speaks of the difficulty in accounting for this cruci¬ 
fix being found among the Indians of Cozumel, and ends by say¬ 
ing: 

“But if it be considered that these Indians believed that the Son of God, 
whom they called Bacob, had died upon a cross, with his arms stretched out upon it, 
it cannot appear so difficult a matter to comprehend that they should have 
formed his image according to the religious creed which they possessed .” 4 

We shall find, in another chapter, that these virgin-born 
“ Saviours ” and “ Slain Ones Crishna, Osiris, ITorus, Attys, 
Adonis, Bacchus, Ac.—whether torn in pieces, killed by a boar, or 
crucified— will all melt into one. 

We now come to a very important fact not generally known, 
namely : There are no early representations of Christ Jesus suffer¬ 
ing on the cross. 


i Monumental Christianity, p. 393. Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 169. 

a See Appendix A. 4 Quoted by Lord Kingsborough : Mexican 

3 See Monumental Christianity, p. 390, and Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 172. 




202 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Rev. J. P. Lundy, speaking of this, says : 

“ Why should a fact so well known to the heathen as the crucifixion he con¬ 
cealed? And yet its actual realistic representation never once occurs in the 'monu¬ 
ments of Christianity, for more than six or seven centuries.” l 

Mrs. Jameson, in her “History of Our Lord in Art,” says : 

“ The crucifixion is not one of the subjects of early Christianity. The death 
of our Lord was represented by various types, but never in its actual form. 

“ The earliest instances of the crucifixion are found in illustrated manuscripts 
of various countries, and in those ivory and enameled forms wdiich are described 
in the Introduction. Some of these are ascertained, by historical or by internal 
evidence, to have been executed in the ninth century, there is one also, of an ex¬ 
traordinary rude and fantastic character, in a MS. in the ancient library of St. 
Galle, which is ascertained to be of the eighth century. At all events, there seems 
no just grounds at present for assigning an earlier date ”' 2 

“ Early Christian art, such as it appears in the bas-reliefs on sarcophagi, gave 
but one solitary incident from the story of Our Lord’s Passion, and that utterly 
divested of all circumstances of suffering. Our Lord is represented as young and 
beautiful, free from bonds, with no ‘ accursed tree'’ on his shoulders .” 3 4 

The oldest representation of Christ Jesus was a figure of a 
lamb* to which sometimes a vase was added, into which his blood 
flowed, and at other times couched at the foot of a cross. This 
custom subsisted up to the year 680, and until the pontificate of 
Agathon , during the reign of Constantine Pogonat. By the sixth 
synod of Constantinople (canon 82) it was ordained that instead of 
the ancient symbol, which had been the Lamb, the figure of a man 
-fastened to a cross (such as the Pagans had adored), should be 
represented. All this was confirmed by Pope Adrian I. 5 

A simple cross, which was the symbol of eternal life, or of sal¬ 
vation, among the ancients, was sometimes, as we have seen, placed 
alongside of the Lamb. In the course of time, the Lamb was put 
on the cross, as the ancient Israelites had put the paschal lamb 
centuries before, 6 and then, as we have seen, they put a man 
upon it. 

Christ Jesus is also represented in early art as the “ Good 
Shepherd,” that is, as a young man with a lamb on his shoulders. 7 


1 Monumental Christianity, p. 246. 

2 History of Our Lord in Art, vol. ii. p. 137. 

3 Ibid. p. 317. 

4 See Illustrations in Ibid. vol. i. 

6 See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 
252. Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. Ill, and 
Monumental Christianity, p. 246, et seq. 

6 The paschal lamb was roasted on a cross, 
by ancieut Israel, and is still so done by the 
Samaritans at Nablous. (See Lundy’s Monu¬ 
mental Christianity, pp. 19 and 247.) 

“ The lamb slain (at the feast of the pass- 


over) was roasted whole, with two spits thrust 
through it—one lengthwise, and one transversely 
—crossing each other near the fore legs ; so 
that the animal was, in a manner, crucified. 
Not a bone of it might be broken—a circum¬ 
stance strongly representing the sufferings of 
onr Lord Jesus, the passover slain for us." 
(Barnes's Notes, vol. i. p. 292.) 

7 See King : The Gnostics and their Re¬ 
mains, p. 138. Also. Monumental Christianity, 
and Jameson’s History' of Our Lord in Art, for 
illustrations. 




THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


203 


This is just the manner in which the Pagan Apollo, Mercury and 
others were represented centuries before. 1 

Mrs. Jameson says: 

“ Mercury attired as a shepherd, with a ram on his shoulders, borne in the 
same manner as in many of the Christian representations, was no unfrequent 
object (in ancient art) and in some instances led to a difficulty in distinguishing 
between the two ,” 2 that is, between Mercury and Christ Jesus. 

M. Penan says : 

“ The Good Shepherd of the catacombs in Rome is a copy from the Aristeus, 
or from the Apollo Nomius, which figured in the same posture on the Pagan 
sarcophagi; and still carries the flute of Pan, in the midst of the four half-naked 
seasons .” 3 

The Egyptian Saviour Ilorus was called the “ Shepherd of the 
People.” 4 

The Hindoo Saviour Orishna was called the “ Poyal Good Shep¬ 
herd.” 5 

We have seen, then, on the authority of a Christian writer 
who has-made the subject a special study, that, “there seems no 
just grounds at present for assigning an earlier date,” for the “ ear¬ 
liest instances of the crucifixion” of Christ Jesus, represented in 
art, than the eighth or ninth century. Now, a few words in re¬ 
gard to what these crucifixes looked like. If the reader imagines 
that the crucifixes which are familiar to us at the present day are 
similar to those early ones, we would inform him that such is not the 
case. The earliest artists of the crucifixion represent the Christian 
Saviour as young and beardless , always without the crown of 
thorns, alive, and erect, apparently elate; no signs of bodily suf¬ 
fering are there. 6 

On page 151, plate 181, of Jameson’s “History of Our Lord 
in Art ” (vol. ii.), he is represented standing on a foot-rest on the 
cross, alive, and eyes open. Again, on page 330, plate 253, he is 
represented standing “ with body upright and arms extended 
straight, with no nails , no wounds , no crown of thorns —frequently 
clothed, and with a regal crown—a God, young and beautiful, 
hanging, as it were, without compulsion or pain.” 

On page 1G7, plate 188, are to be seen “ the thieves bound to their 


1 See King’s Gnostics, p. 178. Knight: 

Ancient Art and Mythology, p. xxii., and 
Jameson’s History of Our Loi*l in Art, ii. 340. 

3 Jameson : Ilist. of Our Lord in Art, p. 

340. vol. ii. 

3 Quoted in Knight: Ancient Art and My¬ 


thology, p. xxii. note. 

4 Dunlap : Spirit Hist., p. 185. 

5 See chapter xvii. and vol. ii. Hist. Hindo- 
stan. 

6 See Jameson’s Hist, of Our Lord in Art, 
vol. ii. p. 145. 





204 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


cross {which is simply an upright beam, without cross-bars ), with 
the figure of the Lord standing between them.” lie is not bound 
nor nailed to a cross ; no cross is there. He is simply standing 
erect in the form of a cross. This is a representation of what is 
styled, “Early crucifixion with thieves” On page 173, plate 190, 
we have a representation of the crucifixion, in which Jesus and the 
thieves are represented crucified on the Egyptian tau (see Fig. 
Ho. 12). The thieves are tied , but the man-god is nailed to the 
cross. A similar representation may be seen on page 189, plate 
198. 

On page 155, plate 183, there is a representation of what is 
called “ Virgin and St. John at foot of cross,” but this cross is sim- 
ply an upright beam (as Fig. Ho. 13). There are no cross-bars 
attached. On page 167, plate 188, the thieves are tied to an up¬ 
right beam (as Fig. 13), and Jesus stands between them, with arms 
extended in the form of a cross, as the Hindoo Crishna is to be 
seen in Fig. Ho. 8. On page 157, plate 185, Jesus is represented 
crucified on the Egyptian cross (as Ho. 12). 

Some ancient crucifixes represent the Christian Saviour cruci¬ 
fied on a cross similar in form to the Homan figure which stands for 
the number ten (see Fig. Ho. 14). Thus we see that there was 
no uniformity in representing the ‘ ‘ cross of Christ,” among the 
early Christians; even the cross which Constantine put on his 
“ Labarum,” or sacred banner, was nothing more than the mono¬ 
gram of the Pagan god Osiris (Fig. Ho. 15), 1 as we shall see in a 
subsequent chapter. 



The dogma of the vicarious atonement has met with no success 
whatever among the Jews. The reason for this is very evident. 
The idea of vicarious atonement, in any form, is contrary to Jew- 


1 “It would be difficult to prove that the 
cross of Constantine was of the simple con¬ 
struction as now understood. ... As re¬ 
gards. the Labarum , the coins of the time, in 
which it is especially set forth, prove that the 


so-called cross upon it was nothing else than 
the same ever-recurring monogram of Christ” 
(that is, the XP). (History of OnrLord in Art, 
vol. ii. p. 310. See also, Smith's Bible Dic¬ 
tionary, art. “Labarum.”) 


















THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


205 


isli ethics, but it is in full accord with the Gentile. The law or¬ 
dains that 1 “ every man shall be put to death for his own sin,” and 
not for the sin or crime committed by any other person. Iso ran- 
' som should protect the murderer against the arm of justice. 2 The 
principle of equal rights and equal responsibilities is fundamental 
in the law. If the law of God —for as such it is received—de¬ 
nounces the vicarious atonement, viz., to slauglitei % an innocent 
person to atone for the crimes of others , then God must abhor it. 
What is more, Jesus is said to have sanctioned this law, for is he 
not made to say : “ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, 
or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For 
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one 
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law.” 3 

“ Salvation is and can be nothing else than learning the laws of 
life and keeping them. There is, in the modern world, neither 
place nor need for any of the theological ‘ schemes of salvation ’ 
or theological 4 Saviours.’ No wrath of either God or devil stands 
in man’s way ; and therefore no ‘ sacrifice’ is needed to get them 
out of the way. Jesus saves only as he helps men know and keep 
God’s laws. Thousands of other men, in their degree, are Saviours 
in precisely the same way. As there has been no ‘ fall of man/ 
all the hundreds of theological devices for obviating its supposed 
etfects are only imaginary cures for imaginary ills. What man does 
need is to be taught the necessary laws of life, and have brought to 
bear upon him adequate motives for obeying them. To know and 
keep God’s laws is being reconciled to him. This is health ; and 
out of health—that is, the perfect condition of the whole man, 
called holiness or wholeness^—comes happiness, in this world and 
in all worlds.” 


* Deut. xxiv. 16. 


2 Num. xxv. 31-34. 


2 Matt. v. 17,18. 








CHAPTER XXI. 


THE DARKNESS AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 

The Luke narrator informs us that at the time of the death of 
Christ Jesus, the sun was darkened, and there was darkness over 
the earth from the sixth until the ninth hour; also the veil of the 
temple was rent in the midst. 1 

The Matthew narrator, in addition to this, tells us that: 

“ The earth did quake, and the rocks were rent, and the graves were opened, 
and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of their graves . . . 
and went into the holy city and appeared unto many .” 2 

“ His star ” having shone at the time of his birth, and his having 
been born in a miraculous manner, it was necessary that at the 
death of Christ Jesus, something miraculous should happen. 
Something of an unusual nature had happened at the time of the 
death of other supernatural beings, therefore something must liap* * 
pen at his death; the myth would not have been complete with¬ 
out it. In the words of Viscount Amberly : “The darkness from 
the sixth to the ninth hour, the rending of the temple veil, the 
earthquake, the rending of the rocks, are altogether like the prodi¬ 
gies attending the decease of other great me?iL z 

The Rev. Dr. Geikie, one of the most orthodox writers, says : 4 

“ It is impossible to explain the origin of this darkness. The passover moon 
was then at the full, so that it could not have been an eclipse. The early Fathers, 
relying on a notice of an eclipse that seemed to coincide in time, though it really 
did not, fancied that the darkness was caused by it, but incorrectly.” 

Perhaps “ the origin of this darkness ” may be explained from 
what we shall now see. 

At the time of the death of the Hindoo Saviour Grishna , there 


r Luke, xxiii. 44, 45. 8 Amberly : Analysis of Religious Belief, 

* Matthew, xxvii. 51-53. p. 2GS. 4 Life of Christ, vol. ii. p. G43. 

[ 206 ] 


/ 


t 




THE DARKNESS AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 


207 


came calamities and bad omens of every kind. A black circle sur¬ 
rounded tlie moon, and the sun was darkened at noon-day ‘ the 
sky rained fire and aslies; flames burned dusky and livid ; demons 
committed depredations on eartli; at sunrise and sunset, thousands 
of figures were seen skirmishing in the air; spirits were to be seen 
on all sides. 1 2 

When the conflict began between Buddha , the Saviour of the 
World, and the Prince of Evil, a thousand appalling meteors fell; 
clouds and darkness prevailed. Even this earth, with the oceans 
and mountains it contains, though it is unconscious, quaked like a 
conscious being —like a fond bride when forcibly torn from her. 
bridegroom—like the festoons of a vine shaken under the blast of 
a whirlwind. The ocean rose under the vibration of this earthquake; 
rivers flowed back toward their sources; peaks of lofty mountains, 
where countless trees had grown for ages, rolled crumbling to the 
earth; a fierce storm howled all around; the roar of the concussion 
became terrific ; the very sun enveloped itself in aufid darkness , 
and a host of headless spirits filled the air . 9 

When Prometheus was crucified on Mount Caucasus, the whole 
frame of nature became convidsed. The earth did quake, thunder 
roared, lightning flashed, the wild winds rent the vexed air, the 
boisterous billows rose, and the dissolution of the universe seemed 
to be threatened. 3 

The ancient Greeks and Romans, says Canon Farrar, 4 * had always 
considered that the births and deaths of great men were announced 
by celestial signs. We therefore find that at the death of Romulus, 
the founder of Rome, the sun was darkened, and there was dark¬ 
ness over the face of the earth for the space of six hours. 6 

When Jidius Caesar , who was the son of a god, was murdered, 
there was a darkness over the earth, the sun being eclipsed for the 
space of six hours. 0 

This is spoken of by Virgil , where he says: 

“ He (the Sun) covered his luminous head with a sooty darkness, 

And the impious ages feared eternal night .” 7 

It is also referred to by Tibullus, Ovid, and Lucian (poets), 
Pliny, Appian, Dion Cassius, and Julius Obsequenes (historians.) 8 


1 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 71. 

2 Rhys David’s Buddhism, pp. 36, 37. 

3 See Potter’s Aeschylus, “ Prometheus 
Chained,” last stanza. 

4 Farrar’s Life of Christ, p. 52. 

6 See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. pp.616,617. 

* See Ibid, and Gibbon’s Rome, vol. i. pp. 


159 and 590, also Josephus : Jewish Antiquities, 
book xiv. ch. xii. and note. 

7 “Cum caput obscura nitidum ferrngine 

texit 

Impiaquoo seternam timuerunt saecula 
noctem.” 

8 See Gibbon’s Rome, vol. i. pp. 159 and 590. 




208 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


When Hdsculapius the Saviour was put to death, the sun shone 
dimly from the heavens / the birds were silent in the darkened 
groves; the trees bowed down their heads in sorrow; and the 
hearts of all the sons of men fainted within them, because the healer 
of their pains and sickness lived no more upon the earth. 1 

When Hercules was dying, he said to the faithful female (Iole) 
who followed him to the last spot on earth on which he trod, “ Weep 
not, my toil is done, and now is the time for rest. I shall see thee 
again in the bright land which is never trodden by the feet of 
night.” Then, as the dying god expired, darkness was on the face 
of the earth • from the high heaven came down the thick cloud, 
and the din of its thunder crashed through the air. In this man¬ 
ner, Zeus, the god of gods, carried his son home, and the halls of 
Olympus were opened to welcome the bright hero who rested from 
his mighty toil. There he now sits, clothed in a white robe, with 
a crown upon his head. 2 

When (Edipus was about to leave this world of pain and sor¬ 
row, he bade Antigone farewell, and said, “Weep not, my child, 
I am going to my home, and I rejoice to lay down the burden of 
my woe.” Then there were signs in the heaven above and on the 
earth beneath, that the end was nigh at hand, for the earth did 
quake , and the thunder roared and echoed again and again through 
the sky. 3 

“ The Romans had a god called Quirinius. His soul emanated 
from the sun, and was restored to it. He was begotten by the 
god of armies upon a virgin of the royal blood, and exposed by 
order of the jealous tyrant Amulius, and was preserved and edu¬ 
cated among shepherds. He was tom to pieces at his death, when 
he ascended into heaven ; upon which the sun was eclipsed or 
darkened. ” 4 

When Alexander the Great died, similar prodigies are said to 
have happened; again, when foul murders were committed, it is 
said that the sun seemed to hide its face. This is illustrated in the 
story of Atreus , King of Mycenae, who foully murdered the chil¬ 
dren of his brother Thyestes. At that time, the sun, unable to 
endure a sight so horrible, “ turned his course backward and with¬ 
drew his light.”* 

At the time of the death of the virgin-born Quetzalcoatle , the 


x. 


1 Tales of Ancient Greece, p. 46. 

3 Ibid. pp. 61, 62. 

3 Ibid. p. 270. 


4 Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 322. 

6 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 106. 



THE DARKNESS AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 


209 


Mexican crucified Saviour, the sun was darkened , and withheld its 
light . 1 

Lord Kingsborough, speaking of this event,, considers it very- 
strange that the Mexicans should have preserved an account of it 
among their records, when “the great eclipse which sacred history 
records ” is not recorded in profane history. 

Gibbon, the historian, speaking of this phenomenon, says : 

“ Under the reign of Tiberius, the whole earth , 2 or at least a celebrated prov¬ 
ince of the Roman empire , 3 was involved in a perpetual darkness of three hours. 
Even this miraculous event, which ought to have excited the wonder, the curi¬ 
osity, and the devotion of mankind, passed without notice in an age of science and 
history. It happened during the life-time of Seneca 4 and the elder Pliny , 5 who 
must have experienced the immediate effects, or received the earliest intelligence, 
of the prodigy. Each of these philosophers, in a laborious work, has recorded 
all the great phenomena of nature, earthquakes, meteors, comets and eclipses, 
which his indefatigable curiosity could collect . 6 But the one and the other have 
omitted to mention the greatest phenomenon to which the mortal eye has been 
witness since the creation of the globe .” 7 

This account of the darkness at the time of the death of Jesus 
of Nazareth, is one of the prodigies related in the New Testament 
wdiicii no Christian commentator has been able to make appear 
reasonable. The favorite theory 'is that it was a natural eclipse of 
the sun, which happened to take place at that particular time, but, if 
this was the case, there was nothing supernatural in the event, and 
it had nothing whatever to do with the death of Jesus. Again, it 
would be necessary to prove from other sources that such an event 
happened at that time, but this cannot be done. The argument 
from the duration of the darkness— three hours —is also of great 
force against such an occurrence having happened, for an eclipse 
seldom lasts in cjreat intensity more than six minutes. 

Even if it could be proved that an eclipse really happened at 
the time assigned for the crucifixion of Jesus, how about the earth¬ 
quake, when the rocks were rent and the graves opened? and how 
about the “saints which slept” rising bodily and walking in the 
streets of the Holy City and appeariny to many f Surely, the faith 
that would remove mountains, 8 is required here. 


1 See Kingsborough’s Mexican Antiquities, 
vol. vi. p. 5. 

2 The Fathers of the Church seem to cover 
the whole earth with darkness, in. which they 
are followed by most of the moderns. (Gib¬ 
bon. Luke, xxiii. 44, says “ over all the earth.") 

3 Origcn (a Father of the third century) and 

a few modern critics, are desirous of confining 

it to the land of Judea. (Gibbon.) 

14 


4 Seneca, a celebrated philosopher and his¬ 
torian, born in Spain a few years b. c., but edu¬ 
cated in Rome, and became a “Roman.” 

6 Pliny the elder, a celebrated Roman phil¬ 
osopher and historian, born about 23 a. n. 

6 Seneca : Quuest. Natur. 1. i. 15, vi. 1. vii. 
17. Pliny : Hist. Natur. 1. ii. 

7 Gibbon’s Rome, i. 589, 590. 

8 Matt. xvi. 20. 



210 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Shakespeare lias embalmed some traditions of the kind exactly 
analogous to the present case : 

“ In the most higli and palmy state of Rome, 

A little ere the mightiest Julius fell, 

The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead 
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets .” 1 

Belief in the influence of the stars over life and death, and in 
special portents at the death of great men , survived, indeed, to 
recent times. Chaucer abounds in allusions to it, and still later 
Shakespeare tells us: 

“ When beggars die there are no comets seen; 

The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” 

% 

It would seem that this superstition survives even to the present 
day, for it is well known that the dark and yellow atmosphere 
which settled over so much of the country, on the day of the re¬ 
moval of President Garfield from Washington to Long Branch, was 
sincerely held by hundreds of persons to be a death-warning sent 
from heaven, and there were numerous predictions that disso¬ 
lution would take nlace before the train arrived at its destination. 

JL 

As Mr. Greg remarks, there can, we think, remain little doubt 
in unprepossessed minds, that the whole legend in question was one 
of those intended to magnify Christ Jesus, which were current 
in great numbers at the time the Matthew narrator wrote, and 
which he, with the usual want of discrimination and somewhat 
omnivorous tendency, which distinguished him as a compiler, ad¬ 
mitted into his Gospel. 


1 Hamlet, act 1, e. 1. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



“ HE DESCENDED INTO HELL.” 

The doctrine of Christ Jesus’ descent into hell is emphatically 
part of the Christian belief, although not alluded to by Christian 
divines excepting when unavoidable. 

In the first place, it is taught in the Creed of the Christians, 
wherein it says : 

“He descended into hell, and on the third day he rose again from the dead” 

The doctrine was also taught by the Fathers of the Church. 
St. Chrysostom (born 347 a. d.) asks: 

“ Who hut an infidel would deny that Christ was in hell ? 

And St. Clement of Alexandria, who flourished at the begin¬ 
ning of the third century, is equally clear and emphatic as to 
Jesus’ descent into hell. He says : 

“ The Lord preached the gospel to those in Hades, as well as to all in earth, 
in order that all might believe and be saved, wherever they were. If, then, the 
Lord descended to Hades for no other end but to preach the gospel, as He did 
descend, it was either to preach the gospel to all, or to the Hebrews only. If 
accordingly to all, then all who believe shall be saved, although they may be of 
the Gentiles, on making their profession there .” 1 2 

Origen, who flourished during the latter part of the second, and 
beginning of the third centuries, also emphatically declares that 
Christ Jesus descended into hell. 3 

Ancient Christian works of art represent his descent into hell. 4 

The apocryphal gospels teach the doctrine of Christ Jesus’ 
descent into hell, the object of which was to preach to those in 
bondage there, and to liberate the saints who had died before 
his advent on earth. 


1 Quoted by Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 

46. 

2 Quoted in Monumental Christianity, p. 

206. 


8 See Ibid. 

4 See Jameson’s Hist, of Our Lord in Art, 
vol. ii. pp. 354, 355. 

[211] 


1 




212 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


On account of the sin committed by Adam in the Garden of 
Eden, all mankind were doomed, all had gone to hell—excepting 
those who had been translated to heaven—even those persons who 
were “ after God’s own heart,” and who had belonged to his 
“ chosen people.” The coming of Christ Jesus into the world/ 
however, made a change in the affairs of man. The saints 
were then liberated from their prison, and all those who believe 
in the efficacy of his name, shall escape hereafter the tortures of 
hell. This is the doctrine to be found in the apocryphal gospels, 
and was taught by the Fathers of the Church. 1 

In the “ Gospel of Nicodemus ” (apoc.) is to be found the 
whole story of Christ Jesus’ descent into hell, and of his liberating 
the saints. 

Satan, and the Prince of Hell, having heard that Jesus of Naza¬ 
reth was about to descend to their domain, began to talk the matter 
over, as to what they should do, &c. While thus engaged, on a 
sudden, there was a voice as of thunder and the rushing of winds, 
saying : “ Lift up your gates, O ye Princes, and be ye lifted up, O 
ye everlasting gates, and the King of Glory shall come in.” 

When the Prince of Hell heard this, he said to his impious offi¬ 
cers : “ Shut the brass gates . . . and make them fast with 

iron bars, and fight courageously.” 

The saints having heard what had been said on both sides, im¬ 
mediately spoke with a loud voice, saying: “ Open thy gates, that 
the King of Glory may come in.” The divine prophets, David 
and Isaiah , were particularly conspicuous in this protest against the 
intentions of the Prince of Hell. 

Again the voice of Jesus was heard saying: “ Lift up your gates, 
O Prince; and be ye lifted up, ye gates of hell, and the King of 
Glory will enter in.” The Prince of Hell then cried out: “ Who 
is the King of Glory?” upon which the prophet David com¬ 
menced to reply to him, but while he was speaking, the mighty 
Lord Jesus appeared in the form of a man, and broke asunder the 
fetters which before could not be broken, and crying aloud, said: 
“ Come to me, all ye saints, who were created in my image, who 
were condemned by the tree of the forbidden fruit . . . live 

now by the word of my cross.” 

Then presently all the saints were joined together, hand in hand, 
and the Lord Jesus laid hold on Adam’s hand, and ascended from 
hell, and all the saints of God followed him. 2 

1 See Jameson’s Hist, of Our Lord in Art, 2 Nicodemus : Apoc. ch. xvi. and xix. 

vol. ii. pp. 250, 251. 





213 


“he descended into hell.” 

When the saints arrived in paradise, two “ very ancient men ” 
met them, and were asked by the saints: “Who are ye, who have 
not been with us in hell, and have had your bodies placed in par¬ 
adise ?” One of these “ very ancient men ” answered and said: 
u I am Enoch , who was translated by the word of God, and this 
man who is with me is Elijah the Tishbite, who was translated in a 
lierv chariot..” 1 

t/ 

The doctrine of the descent into hell may be found alluded to 
in the canonical books ; thus, for instance, in I. Peter : 

“ It is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for 
evil doing. For Christ also hath suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he 
might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the 
spirit: by ichich also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison ” 2 

Again, in “ Acts,” where the writer is speaking of David as a 
prophet, he says : 

“ He, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was 
not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption .” 3 

The reason why Christ Jesus has been made to descend into 
hell, is because it is apart of the universal mythos , even the three 
days ’ duration. The Saviours of mankind had all done so, he 
must therefore do likewise. 

Crishna , the Hindoo Saviour, descended into hell , for the pur¬ 
pose of raising the dead (the doomed), 4 * 6 7 8 9 before he returned to his 
heavenly seat. 

Zoroaster , of the Persians, descended into hell? 

Osiris , the Egyptian Saviour, descended into hell? 

Ilorus , the virgimborn Saviour, descended into hell? 

Adonis , the virgin-born Saviour, descended into hell? 

Bacchus , the virgin-born Saviour, descended into hell? 

Hercules , the virgin-born Saviour, descended into hell? 0 

Mercury , the Word and Messenger of God, descended into hell? 1 


1 Nicodemus : Apoc. ch. xx. 

3 I. Peter, iii. 17—10. 

3 Acts, ii. 31. 

< See Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 237. Bon- 

wick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 168, and Maurice : 
Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 85. 

6 See Monumental Christianity, p. 286. 

6 See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 
256, Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, and Dunlap’s 
Mysteries of Adoni, pp. 125, 152. 

7 See Chap. XXXIX. 

8 See Bell's Pantheon, vol. i. p. 12. 

9 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 322. 
Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 257, and 


Dunlap’s Mysteries of Adoni, p. 33. 

10 See Taylor’s Mysteries, p. 40, and Mys¬ 
teries of Adoni, pp. 94-96. 

11 See Bell's Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 72. Our 
Christian writers discover considerable appre¬ 
hension, and a jealous caution in their lan¬ 
guage, when the resemblance between Pagan¬ 
ism and Christianity might he apt to strike 
the mind too cogently. In quoting Horace's 
account of Mercury’s descent into hell, and his 
causing a cessation of the sufferings there, Mr. 
Spence, in “ Bell’s Pantheon,” says : “ As this, 
perhaps, may be a mythical part of his charac¬ 
ter, tee had better let it alone." 



214 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Baldur , the Scandinavian god, after being killed, descended 
into hell. 1 

Quetzalcoatle , the Mexican crucified Saviour, descended into 
hell. 1 

All these gods, and many others that might be mentioned, 
remained in hell for the sjpace of three days and three nights . 
a They descended into hell, and on the third day rose again.” 3 


1 See Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 1G9, 
and Mallet, p. 443. 


2 See Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 1G6. 

3 See the chapter on Explanation. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 


THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST JESUS. 

The story of the resurrection of Christ Jesus is related by the 
four Gospel narrators, and is to the effect that, after being cruci¬ 
fied, his body was wrapped in a linen cloth, laid in a tomb, and a 
“ great stone ” rolled to the door. The sepulchre was then made 
sure by “ scaling the stone ” and “ setting a watch.” 

On the first day of the week some of Jesus’ followers came to see 
the sepulchre, when they found that, in spite of the “ sealing ” and 
the “ watch,” the angel of the Lord had descended from heaven, 
had rolled back the stone from the door, and that u Jesus had risen 
from the dead.” 1 

The story of his ascension is told by the Mark 3 narrator, who 
says “ he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of 
God ; ” by Luke* who says “ he was carried up into heaven ; ” and 
by the writer of the Acts* who says “ lie was taken up (to heaven) 
and a cloud received him out of sight.” 

We will find, in stripping Christianity of its robes of Paganism, 
that these miraculous events must be put on the same level with 
those we have already examined. 

Crishna , the crucified Hindoo Saviour, rose from the dead* and 
ascended bodily into heaven . 6 At that time a great light enveloped 
the earth and illuminated the whole expanse of heaven. Attended 
by celestial spirits, and luminous as on that night when he was born 
in the house of Vasudeva, Crishna pursued, by his own light, the 
journey between earth and heaven, to the bright paradise from 
whence he had descended. All men saw him, and exclaimed, 
“ Zo, Crishna's soul ascends its native skies ! ” 7 


1 See Matthew, xxviii. Mark, xvi. Luke, 
xxiv. and John, xx. 2 Mark, xvi. 19. 

* Luke, xxiv. 51. 4 Acts, i. 9. 

6 See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 
240. Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. pp. 142 and 
145. 


8 See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 131. 
Bonvvick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 108. Asiatic 
Researches, vol. i. pp. 259 and 201. 

7 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 72. Hist. 
Hindostan, ii. pp. 400 and 473. 

4 * In Hindu pictures, Vishnu, who is identi- 

215 



216 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Samuel Johnson, in his “ Oriental Religions,” tells us that Rama 
—an incarnation of Vishnu—after his manifestations on earth, “at 
last ascended to heaven” “ resuming his divine essence.” 

“ By the blessings of Rama’s name, and through previous faith 
in him, all sins are remitted, and every one who shall at death pro¬ 
nounce his name with sincere worship shall be forgiven.” 1 

The mythological account of Buddha , the son of the Virgin 
Maya, who, as the God of Love, is named Carn-deo , Cam, and 
Cama , is of the same character as that of other virgin-born gods. 
When he died there were tears and lamentations. Heaven and earth 
are said equally to have lamented the loss of “ Divine Love” inso¬ 
much that Maha-deo (the supreme god) was moved to pity, and ex¬ 
claimed, “Rise, holy love!” on which Cama was restored and the 
lamentations changed into the most enthusiastic joy. The heavens 
are said to have echoed back the exulting sound ; then the deity, 
supposed to be lost {dead), was restored, “ helVs great dread and 
heaven's eternal admiration .” 3 

The coverings of the body unrolled themselves, and the lid of 
his coffin was opened by supernatural powers. 3 

Buddha also ascended bodily to the celestial regions when his 
mission on earth was fulfilled, and marks on the rocks of a high 
mountain are shown, and believed to be the last impression of 
his footsteps on this earth. By prayers in his name his fol¬ 
lowers expect to receive the rewards of paradise, and finally to 
become one with him, as he became one with the Source of Life. 4 

Lao-Kiun, the virgin-born, he who had existed from all eter¬ 
nity, when his mission of benevolence was completed on earth, 
ascended bodily into the paradise above . Since this time he has 
been worshiped as a god , and splendid temples erected to his 
memory. 6 

Zoroaster, the founder of the religion of the ancient Persians, 
who was considered “ a divine messenger sent to redeem men from 
their evil ways,” ascended to heaven at the end ,of his earthly 
career. To this day his followers mention him with the greatest 
reverence, calling him “ The Immortal Zoroaster,” “ The Blessed 
Zoroaster,” “ The Living Star,” &c. 6 


lied with Crishna, is often seen mounted on 
the Eagle Garuda.” (Moore : Ilindu Panth. 
p. 214.) And M. Sonnerat noticed “ two basso- 
relievos placed at the entrance of the choir of 
Bordeaux Cathedral, one of which represents 
the ascension of our Saviour lo heaven on an 
Eagle.” (Higgins : Anac., vol. i. p. 273.) 

1 Oriental Religions, pp. 494, 495, 


2 Asiatic Res., vol. x. p. 129. Anacalypsis, 
vol. ii. p. 103. 

3 Bunsen : The Angcl-Messiah, p. 49. 

4 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 86. See also, 
Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 159. 

6 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 214. 

6 Ibid. p. 258. 




THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


217 


uEsculapius, the Son of God, the Saviour, after being put to 
death, rose from the dead. Iiis history is portrayed in the follow¬ 
ing lines of Ovid's , which are prophecies foretelling liis life and 
actions: 

“ Once, as the sacred infant she surveyed, 

The god was kindled in the raving maid; 

And thus she uttered her prophetic talc: 

Hail, great Physician of the world ! all hail! 

Hail, mighty infant, who in years to come 
Shalt heal the nations, and defraud the tomb ! 

Swift be thy growth, thy triumphs unconfmed, 

Make kingdoms thicker, and increase mankind. 

Thy daring art shall animate the dead, 

And draw the thunder on thy guilty head; 

Then shalt thou die, but from the dark abode 
Shalt rise victorious, and be twice a r/od .” 1 

The Saviour Adonis or Tammuz , after being put to death, rose 
from the dead. The following is an account given of the rites of 
Tammuz or of Adonis by Julius Firmicius (who lived during the 
reign of Constantine): 

“ On a certain night (while the ceremony of the Adonia, or religious rites in 
honor of Adonis, lasted), an image was laid upon a bed (or bier) and bewailed in 
doleful ditties. After they had satiated themselves with fictitious lamentations, 
light was brought in: then the mouths of all the mourners were anointed by the 
priests {with oil), upon which he, with a gentle murmur, whispered : 

‘ Trust, ye Saints, your God restored. 

Trust ye, in your risen Lord ; 

For the pains which he endured 

Our salvation have procured.’ 

“ Literally, ‘ Trust, ye communicants: the God having been saved, there shall 
be to us out of pain, Salvation .’ ” 2 

Upon whicli their sorrow was turned into joy. 

Godwyn renders it: 

“ Trust ye in God, for out of pains, 

Salvation is come unto us .” 3 

Dr. Prichard, in his “ Egyptian Mythology ,” tells us that the 
Syrians celebrated, in the early spring , this ceremony in honor of 
the resurrection of Adonis. After lamentations, his restoration 
was commemorated with joy and festivity. 4 

Mons. Dupuis says: 

“The obsequies of Adonis were celebrated at Alexandria (in Egypt) with the 
utmost display. His image was carried with great solemnity to a tomb, which 
served the purpose of rendering him the last honors. Before singing his return 


r Ovid’s Metamorphoses, as rendered by 114. See also, Taylor’s Diegesis, pp. 163, 164. 
Addison. Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 148. 3 Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 164. 

a Quoted by Higgins : Anacalypsie, vol. ii. p. 4 Prichard’s Egyptian Mythology, pp. 66, 67. 



218 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


to life, there were mournful rites celebrated in honor of his suffering and his 
death. The large wound he had received was shown, just as the wound was 
shown which was made to Christ by the thrust of the spear. The feast of his 
resurrection was fixed at the 2oth of March.” 1 

In Calmet’s “Fragments,” the resurrection of Adonis is referred 
to as follows: 

“In these mysteries, after the attendants had for a long time bewailed the 
death of thisywstf 'person , he was at length understood to be restored to life, to have 
experienced a resurrection; signified by the re-admission of light. On this the 
priest addressed the company, saying, ‘ Comfort yourselves, all ye who have 
been partakers of the mysteries of the deity, thus preserved: for we shall now 
enjoy some respite from our labors:’ to which were added these words: ‘I have 
scaped a sad calamity, and my lot is greatly mended.’ The people answered by 
the invocation: ‘ Hail to the Dove ! the Restorer of Light! ’ ” 2 

Alexander Murray tells us that the ancient Greeks also cele¬ 
brated this festival in honor of the resurrection of Adonis, in the 
course of which a figure of him was produced, and the ceremony of 
burial, with weeping and songs of wailing, gone through. After 
these a joyful shout was raised: “ Adonis lives and is risen 
again”* 

Plutarch, in his life of Alcibiades and of Nicias, tells us that it 
was at the time of the celebration of the death of Adonis that the 
Athenian fleet set sail for its unlucky expedition to Sicily; that 
nothing but images of dead Adonises were to be met with in the 
streets, and that they were carried to the sepulchre in the midst of 
an immense train of women, crying and beating their breasts, and 
imitating in every particular the lugubrious pomp of interments. 
Sinister omens were drawn from it, which were only too much 
realized by subsequent events. 4 

It was in an oration or address delivered to the Emperors Con- 
stans and Constantius that Julius Firmicius wrote concerning the 
rites celebrated by the heathens in commemoration of the resurrec¬ 
tion of Adonis. In his tide of eloquence he breaks away into 
indignant objurgation of the priest who officiated in those heathen 
mysteries , which, he admitted, resembled the Christian sacrament 
in honor of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, so closely 
that there was really no difference between them, except that no 
sufficient proof had been given to the world of the resurrection of 
Adonis, and no divine oracle had borne witness to his resurrection , 


1 Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 161. 2 Calmet’s Fragments, vol. ii. p. 21. 

See also, Dunlap's Mysteries of Adoni, p. 23, 3 Murray : Manual of Mythology, p. 86. 

and Spirit Hist, of Man, p. 216. « See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Beliefs 

p. 261. 




THE INSURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


219 


nor had lie shown himself alive after his death to those who were 
concerned to have assurance of the fact that they might believe. 

The divine oracle , be it observed, which Julius Firmicius says 
had borne testimony to Christ Jesus’ resurrection, was none other 
than the answer of the god Apollo, whom the Pagans worshiped 
at Delphos , which this writer derived from Porphyry’s books 
“ On the Philosophy of Oracles A 1 

Eusebius, the celebrated ecclesiastical historian, has also con¬ 
descended to quote this claimed testimony from a Pagan oracle, 
as furnishing one of the most convincing proofs that could be ad¬ 
duced in favor of the resurrection of Christ Jesus. 

‘’But thou at least (says lie to the Pagans), listen to thine own gods, to thy 
oracular deities themselves, who have borne witness, and ascribed to our Saviour 
(Jesus Christ) not imposture, but piety and wisdom, and ascent into heaven.” 

This was vastly obliging and liberal of the god Apollo, but, it 
happens awkwardly enough, that the whole work (consisting of 
several books) ascribed to Porphyry, in which this and other admis¬ 
sions equally honorable to the evidences of the Christian religion are 
made, was not written by Porphyry, but is altogether the pious 
fraud of Christian hands, who have kindly fathered the great 
philosopher with admissions, which, as he would certainly never 
have made himself, they have very charitably made for him. 3 

The festival in honor of the resurrection of Adonis was observed 
in Alexandria in Egypt— the cradle of Christianity —in the time 
of St. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria (a. d. 412), and at Antioch — the 
ancient capital of the Greek Kings of Syria—even as late as the 
time of the Emperor Julian (a. d. 361-363), whose arrival there, 
during the solemnity of the festival, was taken as an ill omen. 3 

It is most curious that the arrival of the Emperor Julian at 
Antioch—where the followers of Christ Jesus, it is said, were first 
called Christians—at that time, should be considered an ill omen. 
Why should it have been so ? lie was not a Christian, but a known 
apostate from the Christian religion, and a zealous patron of 
Paganism. The evidence is very conclusive ; the celebration in 
honor of the resurrection of A donis had become to be known as a 
Christian festival, which has not been abolished even unto this day. 
.The ceremonies held in Homan Catholic countries on Good Friday 
and on Easter Sunday, are nothing more than the festival of the 
death and resurrection of Adonis, as we shall presently see. 


1 Sec Dupuis : Origin of Religious Beliefs, 2 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 164. We shall 

p. 247, and Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 104. speak of Christian forgeries anon. 

3 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 2. 




220 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Even as late as tlie year a. d. 386, the resurrection of Adonis 
was celebrated in Judea. St. Jerome says: 

“ Over Bethlehem (in the year 386 after Christ) the grove of Tammuz, that is, 
of Adonis, was casting its shadow ! And in the grotto where formerly the infant 
Anointed {i. e., Christ Jesus ) cried, the lover of Venus was being mourned.” 1 * 

In the idolatrous worship practiced by the children of Israel 
was that of the worship of Adonis. 

.Under the designation of Tammuz, this god was worshiped, 
and had his altar even in the Temple of the Lord which was at 
Jerusalem. Several of the Psalms of David were parts of the 
liturgical service employed in his worship; the 110th, in partic¬ 
ular, is an account of a friendly alliance between the two gods, 
Jehovah and Adonis, in which Jehovah adorns Adonis for his 
priest, as sitting at his right hand, and promises to fight for him 
against his enemies. This god was worshiped at Byblis in Phoe¬ 
nicia with precisely the same ceremonies: the same articles of faith 
as to his mystical incarnation, his precious death and burial, and his 
glorious resurrection and ascension, and even in the very same 
words of religious adoration and homage which are now, with the 
slightest degree of variation that could w T ell be conceived, addressed 
to the Christ of the Gospel. 

The prophet Ezekiel, when an exile, painted once more the 
scene he had so often witnessed of the Israelitisli women in the 
Temple court bewailing the death of Tammuz. 3 

Dr. Parkhurst says, in his u Hebrew Lexicon ”: 

“ I find myself obliged to refer Tammuz, as well as the Greek and Roman Iler- 
* cules, to that class of idols which were originally designed to represent the prom¬ 
ised Saviour (Christ Jesus), the desire of all nations. Ilis other name, Adonis, 
is almost the very Hebrew word ‘ Our Lord,’ a well-known title of Christ.” 4 

So it seems that the ingenious and most learned orthodox Dr. 
Parkhurst was obliged to consider Adonis a type of “ the promised 
Saviour (Christ Jesus), the desire of all nations.” This is a very 
favorite way for Christian divines to express themselves, when. * 
pushed thereto, by the striking resemblance between the Pagan, 
virgin-born, crucified, and resurrected gods and Christ Jesus. 

If the i eadei is satisfied that all these things are types or sym¬ 
bols of what the “ real /Saviour ” was to do and suffer, he is welcome 

1 Quoted in Dunlap’s Son of the Man, p. of Jerusalem,, the Anointed was worshiped in 
vii. See also, Knight: Ancient Art and My- Babylon, Basan, Galilee and Palestine.” (Son 
thology, p. xxvii. of the Man, p. 38.) 

“ From the days of the prophet Daniel, down 3 Ezekiel, viii. 14. 

to the time when the red cross knights gave no * Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 162 and 

quarter (fighting for the Christ) in the streets Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. iifp. 114. ' 





THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. 




to sucli food. The doctrine of Dr. Parkhnrst and others comes 
with but an ill grace, however, from Do man Catholic priests, who 
have never ceased to suppress information when possible, and when 
it was impossible for them to do so, they claimed these things 
to be the work of the devil, in imitation of their predecessors, the 
Christian Fathers. 

Julius Firmicius has said: “The devil has his Christs,” and 
does not deny that Adonis was one. Tertullian and St. Justin 
explain all the conformity which exists between Christianity and 
Paganism, by asserting “ that a long time before there were Chris¬ 
tians in existence, the devil had taken pleasure to have their future 
mysteries and ceremonies copied by his worshipers.” 1 * 3 

Osiris, the Egyptian Saviour, after being put to death, rose 
from the dead,* and bore the title of “ The Resurrected One.”* 

Prof. Mahaffy, lecturer on ancient history in the University of 
Dublin, observes that: 

“ The Resurrection and reign over an eternal kingdom, by an incarnate 
mediating deity born of a virgin, was a theological conception which pervaded 
the oldest religion of Egypt.” 4 

The ancient Egyptians celebrated annually, in early spring, 
about the time known in Christian countries as Easter, the resur¬ 
rection and ascension of Osiris. During these mysteries the mis¬ 
fortunes and tragical death of the “ Saviour ” were celebrated in 
a species of drama, in which all the particulars were exhibited, 
accompanied with loud lamentations and every mark of sorrow. 
At this time his image was carried in a procession, covered—as 
were those in the temples— vnth black veils. On the 25th of March 
his resurrection from the dead was celebrated with great festivity 
and rejoicings. 5 

Alexander Murray says: 

“ The worship of Osiris was universal throughout Egypt, where he was grate¬ 
fully regarded as the great exampler of self-sacrifice —in giving his life for others 
—as the manifestor of good, as the opener of truth, and as being full of goodness 
and truth. After being dead, he teas restored to life .” 6 

Mons. Dupuis says on this subject: 

‘ * The Fathers of the Church, and the writers of the Christian sect, speak 
frequently of these feasts, celebrated in honor of Osiris, who died and arose from 


i See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 

248. 

3 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 16, 

and vol. i. p. 519. Also, Prichard’s Egyptian 

Mythology, p. 66, and Bonwick’s Egyptian 

Belief, p. 163. 


3 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 166, and 
Dunlap’s Mysteries of Adoni, pp. 124, 125. 

4 Prolegomena to Ancient History. 

6 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 102. 

0 Murray : Manual of Mythology, pp. 347, 
348. 








222 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


the dead, and they draw a parallel with the adventurers of their Christ. 
Athanasius, Augustin, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Minucius Felix, Lactantius, 
Firmicius, as also the ancient authors who have spoken of Osiris ... all 
agree in the description of the universal mourning of the Egyptians at the festi¬ 
val, when the commemoration of that death took place. They describe the cere¬ 
monies which were practiced at his sepulchre, the tears, which were there shed' 
during several days, and the festivities and rejoicings, which followed after that 
mourning, at the moment when his resurrection was announced .” 1 

Mr. Bonwick remarks, in liis “ Egyptian Belief,” that: 

“It is astonishing to find that, at least, five thousand years ago, men trusted 
an Osiris as the ‘ Risen Saviour and confidently hoped to rise, as he arose, from 
the grave .” 2 

Again he says : 

“Osiris was, unquestionably, the popular god of Egypt. . . . Osiris was 

dear to the hearts of the people. He was pre-eminently ‘ good .’ He was in life 
and death their friend. His birth, death, burial, resurrection and ascension, 
embraced the leading points of Egyptian theology.” “ In his efforts to do good, 
he encounters evil. In struggling with that, he is overcome. He is killed. The 
Btovy, entered into in the account of the Osiris myth, is a circumstantial one. 
Osiris is buried. His tomb was the object of pilgrimage for thousands of years. 
But he did not rest in his grave. At the end of three days, or forty , he arose again, 
and ascended to heaven. This is the story of his humanity.” “ As the nvictus 
Osiris, his tomb was illuminated, as is the holy sepulchre of Jerusalem now. 
The mourning song, whose plaintive tones were noted by Herodotus, and has 
been compared to the ‘ miserere ’ of Rome, was followed, in three days, by the 
languageof triumph .” 3 

Herodotus, who had been initiated into the Egyptian and Gre¬ 
cian “ Mysteries ,” speaks thus of them : 

“At Sais (in Egypt), in the sacred precinct of Minerva; behind the chapel 
and joining the wall, is the tomb of one whose name I consider it impious to 
divulge on such an occasion; and in the inclosure stand large stone obelisks, and 
there is a lake near, ornamented with a stone margin, formed in a circle, and in 
size, as appeared to me, much the same as that in Delos, which is called the cir¬ 
cular. In this lake they perform by night the representation of that person’s 
adventures, which they call mysteries. On these matters, however, though 
accurately acquainted with the particulars of them, I must observe a discreet 
silence ; and respecting the sacred rites of Ceres, which the Greeks call Thesmy- 
phoria, although I am acquainted with them, I must observe silence except so 
far as is lawful for me to speak of them .” 4 

Horns , son of the virgin Isis , experienced similar misfortunes. 
The principal features of this sacred romance are to be found in 
the writings of the Christian Fathers. They give us a description 
of the grief which was manifested at his death, and of the rejoicings 
at his resurrection , which are similar to those spoken of above . 6 

1 Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, p. 256. 4 Herodotus, bk. ii. chs. 170, 171. 

a Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. vi. 6 See Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 

9 Ibid. PP-150-155, 178. , 263, and Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. 102. ’ 




THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


223 


Atys, the Phrygian Saviour, was put to death, and rose again 
from the dead . Various histories were given of him in various 
places, but all accounts terminated in the usual manner. He was 
one of the “ Slain Ones ” who rose to life again on the 25th of 
March, or the “ Hilaries, ” or primitive Easter. 1 * 

Mithras , the Persian Saviour, and mediator between God and 
man, was believed by the inhabitants of Persia, Asia Minor and 
Armenia, to have been put to death, and to have risen again from 
the dead. In their mysteries, the body of a young man, apparently 
dead, was exhibited, which was feigned to be restored to life. By 
his sufferings he was believed to have worked their salvation, and 
on this account he was called their “Saviour” Ilis priests watched 
his tomb to the midnight of the veil of the 25th of March, with 
loud cries , and in darkness / when all at once the lights burst 
forth from all parts, and the priest cried: 

‘ ‘ Rejoice, Oh sacred Initiated, your god is risen. His death, his pains, his suf¬ 
ferings, have worked our salvation 

Mons. Dupuis, speaking of the resurrection of this god, says: 

“ It is chiefly in the religion of Mithras. . . . that we find mostly these 

features of analogy with the death and resurrection of Christ, and with the mys¬ 
teries of the Christians. Mithras, who was also born on the 25th of December, 
like Christ, died as he did; and he had his sepulchre, over which his disciples 
came to shed tears. During the night, the priests carried his image to a tomb, 
expressly prepared for him; he was laid out on a litter, like the Phoenician 
Adonis. 

“These funeral ceremonies, like those on Good Friday (in Roman Catholic 
churches), were accompanied with funeral dirges and groans of the priests; after 
having spent some time with these expressions of feigned grief; after having 
lighted the sacred j flambeau, or their paschal candle, and anointed the image with 
chrism or perfumes, one of them came forward and pronounced with the gravest 
mien these words: ‘ Be of good cheer, sacred band of Initiates, your god has risen 
from the dead. His pains and his sufferings shall be your salvation ” 3 

In King’s “ Gnostics and their Remains ” (Plate XI.), may be 
seen the representation of a bronze medal, or rather disk, engraved 


1 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 169. 

Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 104. Dupuis : 
Origin of Religious Belief, p. 255. Dunlap’s 
Mysteries of Adoni, p. 110, and Knight: Anct. 
Art and Mythology, p. 86. 

3 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99. Mith¬ 
ras remained in the grave a period of three days, 
as did Christ Jesus, and the other Christs. 
“ The Persians believed that the soul of man 
remained yet three days in the world after its 
separation from the body.” (Dunlap: Mys¬ 
teries of Adoni, p. 63.) 

“ in the Zoroastrian religion, after soul and 


body have separated, the sonls, in the third 
night after death—as soon as the shining sun 
ascends—come over the Mount Berezaiti upon 
the bridge Tshinavat which leads to Garonmana, 
the dwelling of the good gods.” (Dunlap’s 
Spirit Hist., p. 216, and Mysteries of Adoni, 60.) 

The Ghost of Polydore says : 

“ Being raised up this third day —light, 
Having deserted my body I” (Euripides, 
Hecuba, 31, 32.) 

8 Dupuis : Origin of Religious Beliefs, pp. 
246, 247. 






224 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


in the coarsest maimer, on which is to be seen a female figure, 
standing in the attitude of adoration, the object of which is ex¬ 
pressed by the inscription— ortvs salvat, “ The Rising of the 
Saviour ”— i. e., of Mithras. 1 

“Thismedal ”(saysMr. King), “ doubtlessliad accompanied the interment of 
some individual initiated into the Mithraic mysteries; and is certainly the most 
curious relic of that faith that has come under my notice.” 2 

Bacchus , the Saviour, son of the virgin Semele, after being put 
to death, also arose from the dead. During the commemoration 
of the ceremonies of this event the dead body of a young man was 
exhibited with great lamentations, in the same manner as the cases 
cited above, and at dawn on the 25th of March his resurrection 
from the dead was celebrated with great rejoicings. 3 4 After having 
brought solace to the misfortunes of mankind, he, after his resurrec¬ 
tion, ascended into heaven.* 

Hercules , the Saviour, the son of Zeus by a mortal mother, was 
put to death, but arose from the funeral pile, and ascended into 
heaven in a cloud , ’mid peals of thunder. His followers manifested 
gratitude to his memory by erecting an altar on the spot from 
whence he ascended. 5 

Memnon is put to death, but rises again to life and immortality. 
His mother Eos weeps tears at the death of her son—as Mary does 
for Christ Jesus—but her prayers avail to bring him back, like 
Adonis or Tammuz, and Jesus, from the shadowy region, to dwell 
always in Olympus. 6 

The ancient Greeks also believed that Amphiaraus —one of 
their most celebrated prophets and demi-gods— rose from the dead. 
They even pointed to the place of his resurrection. 7 

Baldur , the Scandinavian Lord and Saviour, is put to death, but 
does not rest in his grave. lie too rises again to life and immor¬ 
tality. 8 

When “ Baldur the Good,” the beneficent god, descended into 
hell, Ilela (Death) said to Ilermod (who mourned for Baldur): 
“ If all things in the world, both living and lifeless, weep for him, 
then shall he return to the H£sir (the gods).” Upon hearing this, 
messengers were dispatched throughout the world to beg every- 


1 King’s Gnostics and their Remains, p.225. 

2 Ibid. p. 220. 

3 See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 102. 
Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, pp. 256, 
257, and Bomvick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 169. 

4 See Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 

135, and Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. 322. 


5 Prcg. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 294. See also, 
Goldzhier’s Hebrew Mythology, p. 127. Hig¬ 
gins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 322, and Cham¬ 
bers’s Encyclo., art. “ Hercules.” 

6 Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 90. 

7 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 53. 

8 Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 94. 




THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


225 


tiling to weep in order that Baldur might be delivered from hell. 
All things everywhere willingly complied with this request, both 
men and every other living being, so that wailing was heard in all 
quarters. 1 2 

Thus we see the same myth among the northern nations. As 
Bunsen says: 

“The tragedy of the murdered and risen god is familiar to us from the days 
of ancient Egypt: must it not be of equally primeval origin here?” [In Teutonic 
tradition.] 

The ancient Scandinavians also worshiped a god called Frey , 
who was put to death, and rose again from the dead? 

The ancient Druids celebrated, in the British Isles, in heathen 

J s 

times, the rites of the resurrected Bacchus, and other ceremonies, 
similar to the Greeks and Homans. 3 4 

Quetzalcoatle , the Mexican crucified Saviour, after being put to 
death, rose from the dead. Ilis resurrection was represented in 
Mexican hieroglyphics , and may be seen in the Codex Borgianus? 

The Jews in Palestine celebrated their Passover on the same 
day that the Pagans celebrated the resurrection of their gods. 

Besides the resurrected gods mentioned in this chapter, who 
were believed in for centuries before the time assigned for the birth 
of Christ Jesus, many others might be named, as we shall see in 
our chapter on “ Explanation.” In the words of Dunbar T. 
Heath : 

“We find men taught everywhere, from Southern Arabia to Greece, by 
hundreds of symbolisms, the birth, death, and resurrection of deities, and a res¬ 
urrection too, apparently after the second day, i. e., on the third .” 5 6 7 

And now, to conclude all, another god is said to have been born 
on the same day 0 as these Pagan deities ; he is crucified and buried, 
and on the same day 7 rises again from the dead. Christians of 
Europe and America celebrate annually the resurrection of their 


1 Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, p. 449. 

2 See Knight: Ancient Art and .Mythology, 
p. 85. 

3 See Davies: Myths and Rites of the British 
Druids, pp. 89 and 208. 

4 See Kingsborough’s Mexican Antiquities, 
vol. vi. p. 1G6. 

5 Quoted in Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 
174. 

6 As we shall see in the chapter on “ The 
Birth-day of Christ Jesus.” 

7 Easter , the triumph of Christ, was origin¬ 
ally solemnized on the 25th of March, the very 
day upon which the Pagan gods were believed 
to have risen from the dead. (Sec Dupuis: 

15 


Origin of Religious Belief, pp. 244, 255.) 

Avery long and terrible schism took place 
in the Christian Church upon the question 
whether Easter, the day of the resurrection, 
was to be celebrated on the 14th day of the first 
month, after the Jewish custom, or on the 
Lord’s day afterward; and it was at last de¬ 
cided in favor of the Lord’s day. (See Hig¬ 
gins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 90, and Cham 
bers’s Encyclopaedia, art. “ Easter.”) 

The day upon which Easter should be cele¬ 
brated was not settled until the Council of Nice. 
(See Euseb. Life of Constantine, lib. 3, ch. xvii. 
Also, Socrates’ Eccl. Hist. lib. 1, ch. vi.) 



226 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Saviour in almost tlie identical manner in wliicli tlie Pagans cele¬ 
brated the resurrection of their Saviours, centuries before the God 
of the Christians is said to have been born. In Roman Catholic 
churches, in Catholic countries, the body of a young man is laid on 
a bier, and placed before the altar; the wound in his side is to be 
seen, and his death is bewailed in mournful dirges, and the verse, 
Gloria Patri , is discontinued in the mass. All the images in the 
churches and the altar are covered with blade, and the priest and 
attendants are robed in black ; nearly all lights are put out, and the 
windows are darkened. This is the“Agonie,” the “ Miserere,” 
the “ Good Friday” mass. On Easter Sunday 1 all the drapery has 
disappeared; the church is illuminated, and rejoicing, in place of 
sorrow, is manifest. The Easter hymns partake of the following 
expression : 

“ Rejoice, Oh sacred Initiated, your God is risen. His death, his pains, his suf¬ 
ferings, have worlced our salvation. ” 

Cedrenus (a celebrated Byzantine writer), speaking of the 25th 
of March, says: 

“ The first day of the first month, is the first of the month Nisan ; it corre¬ 
sponds to the 25tli of March of the Romans, and the Phamenot of the Egyptians. 
On that day Gabriel saluted Mary, in order to make her conceive the Saviour. 
I observe that it is the same month, Phamenot, that Osiris gave fecundity to Isis, 
according to the Egyptian theology. On the very same day, our God Saviour 
(Christ Jesus), after the termination of his career, arose from the dead; that is, 
what our forefathers called the Pass-over, or the passage of the Lord. It is also 
on the same day, that our ancient theologians have fixed his return, or hir 
second advent.” 2 

We have seen, then, that a festival celebrating the resurrection 
of their several gods was annually held among the Pagans, before 
the time of Christ Jesus, and that it was almost universal. That 
it dates to a period of great antiquity is very certain. The adven¬ 
tures of these incarnate gods, exposed in their infancy, put to death, 
and rising again from the grave to life and immortality, were acted 
on the Deisuls and in the sacred theatres of the ancient Pagans. 3 
just as the “ Passion Play ” is acted to-day. 

Eusebius relates a tale to the effect that, at one time, the Chris- 


1 Even the name of “ Easter ” is derived 
from the heathen goddess, Ostrt, of the Saxons, 
and the Eostre of the Germans. 

“Many of the popular observances con¬ 
nected with Easter are clearly of Pagan origin. 
The goddess Ostara or Eastre seems to have 
been the personification of the morning or 
Ease, and also of the opening year or Spring. 
. . . With her usual policy, the church en¬ 


deavored to give a Christian significance to 
such of the rites as could not be rooted out; 
and in this case the conversion was prac¬ 
tically easy.” (Chambers’s Encyclo., art. 
“ Easter.”) 

2 Quoted in Dupuis: Origin of Religious 
Belief, p. 244. 

3 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 340. 




THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


227 


tians were about to celebrate “ tbe solemn vigils of Easter,” wlien, 
to their dismay, they found that oil was wanted. Narcissus, Bishop 
of Jerusalem, who was among the number, “ commanded that such 
as had charge of the lights , speedily to bring unto him water, drawn 
up out of the next well.” This water Narcissus, “ by the wonder¬ 
ful power of God,” changed into oil, and the celebration was 
continued. 1 

This tells the whole story. Here we see the oil —which the 
Pagans had in their ceremonies, and with which the priests anointed 
the lips of the Initiates—and the lights , which were suddenly 
lighted when the god w T as feigned to have risen from the dead. 

With her usual policy, the Christian Church endeavored to give 
a Christian significance to the rites borrowed from Paganism, and 
in this case, as in many others, the conversion was particularly 
easy. 

About a. d. 199, controversies arose among the Christians 
concerning “ the keeping of Easter day,” or, in other words, the 
celebration of the resurrection of their Saviour. Polycrates, who 
was “ the chief of the Bishops throughout Asia”* probably having 
heard of these “ contentions,” wrote unto the Church at Rome, 
showing that the custom was observed in Asia. In his epistle he 
says : “ We celebrate the unviolated day of Easter, neither adding 
anything thereto , neither taking aught therefrom ,” 3 which is to 
say : “We celebrate at the present day the old festival of the resur¬ 
rection of the Saviour of Mankind, in the same manner it was 
always celebrated. We have neither added anything to the ancient 
custom, nor taken anything therefrom.” 

This Easter celebration was observed in China , and called a 
“ Festival of Gratitude to Tien.” 4 From there it extended over 
the then known world to the extreme West. 

The ancient Pagan inhabitants of Europe celebrated annually 
this same feast, which is yet continued over all the Christian world. 
This festival began with a week’s indulgence in all kinds of sports, 
called the carne-vale , or the taking a farewell to animal food, 
because it was followed by a fast of forty days. This was in honor 
of the Saxon goddess Ostrt or Eostre of the Germans, whence our 
Easter . s 


i Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. G, ch. viii. assigned for the birth of Christ Jesus. 

8 “ Bishops throughout Asia,'' in a. d. 199. 3 See Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 5, ch. xxi. 

Snrely these were not the Bishops of Christ and xxii. 

Jesus. We shall see in a future chapter that 4 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 217 

this was the sect of Essenes who had existed 6 See Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Easter,” 

throughout Asia for centuries before the time and Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 59. 




223 


BIBLE MYTHS 


The most characteristic Easter rite, and the one most widely 
diffused, is the use of Easter eggs. They are usually stained of 
various colors with dye-woods or herbs, and people mutually make 
presents of them ; sometimes they are kept as amulets , sometimes 
eaten. Now, “ dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in Egypt;” 1 
the ancient Persians , u when they kept the festival of the solar 
new year (in March), mutually presented each other with colored 
eggs;” 2 “ the Jews used eggs in the feast of the Passover;” and 
the custom prevailed in Western countries. 3 

The stories of the resurrection written by the Gospel narrators 
are altogether different. This is owing to the fact that the story, as 
related by one, was written to correct the mistakes and to endeavor 
to reconcile with common sense the absurdities of the other. For 
instance, the “ Mattlievc ” narrator says : “ And when they saw him 
(after he had risen from the dead) they worshiped him ; but some 
doubted ” K 

To leave the question where this writer leaves it wmuld be fatal. 
In such a case there must be no doubt. Therefore, the “ Mark ” 
narrator makes Jesus appear three times , under such circumstances 
as to render a mistake next to impossible, and to silence the most 
obstinate skepticism. lie is first made to appear to Mary Mag¬ 
dalene, who was convinced that it was Jesus, because she went and 
told the disciples that he had risen, and that she had seen him. 
They— notwithstanding that Jesus had foretold them of his resur¬ 
rection: 5 —disbelieved, nor could they be convinced until he appeared 
to them. They in turn told it to the other disciples, who were also 
skeptical; and, that they might be convinced, Jesus also appeared 
to them as they sat at meat, when he upbraided them for their 
unbelief. 

This story is much improved in the hands of the “ Marli ” nar¬ 
rator, but, in the anxiety to make a clear case, it is overdone, as 
often happens when the object is to remedy or correct an oversight 
or mistake previously made. In relating that the disciples doubted 
the words of Mary Magdalene, he had probably forgotten Jesus had 
promised them that he should rise, for, if he had told them this, 
why did they doubt f 

Neither the “ Matthew ” nor the “ Mark ” narrator says in what 
way Jesus made his appearance—whether it was in the body or onlv 
in the spirit. If in the latter, it would be fatal to the whole theory 

1 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 34. 4 Matthew, xxviii. 17. 

5 See Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Easter.” 6 See xii. 40 ; xvi. 21 ; Mark, ix. 31; xiv. 28 : 

3 Ibid. John, ii. 19. 





THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. 


229 


of the resurrection, as it is a material resurrection that Christianity 
taught—just like their neighbors the Persians—and not a spirit¬ 
ual. 1 

To put this disputed question in its true light, and to silence 
the objections which must naturally have arisen against it, was 
the object which the “ Luke ” narrator had in view. He says that 
when Jesus appeared and spoke to the disciples they were afraid: 
“ But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed they had 
seen a spirit.” 2 Jesus then—to show that he was not a spirit— 
showed the wounds in his hands and feet. “ And they gave him a 
piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb. And he took it, and 
did eat before them A 3 After this, who is there that can doubt ? 
but, if the fish and honeycomb story was true, why did the “ Mat¬ 
thew ” and “ Mark ” narrators fail to mention it ? 

The “ Lulce ” narrator, like his predecessors, had also overdone 
the matter, and instead of convincing the skeptical, he only excited 
their ridicule. 

The “ John ” narrator now comes, and endeavors to set matters 
right. He does not omit entirely the story of Jesus eating fish, t /b/’ 
that would not do , after there had been so much said about it. 
He might leave it to be inferred that the “Luke” narrator made 
a mistake, so he modifies the story and omits the ridiculous part. 
The scene is laid on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias. Under the 
direction of Jesus, Peter drew his net to land, full of fish. “ Jesus 
said unto them : Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst 
ask him, Who art thou ? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then 
cometli, and taketh bread , and giveth them , and fish likewise.” 4 

It does not appear from this account that Jesus ate the fish at 
all. He took the fish and gave to the disciples; the inference is 
that they were the ones that ate. In the “ Luke ” narrator’s ac¬ 
count, the statement is reversed / the disciples gave the fish to 
' Jesus, and he ate. The “ John ” narrator has taken out of the story 
that which w r as absurd, but he leaves us to infer that the “ Luke ” 
narrator was careless in stating the account of what took place. If 
we leave out of the “Luke” narrator’s account the part that re¬ 
lates to the fish and honeycomb, he fails to prove what it really 


i “ And let not any one among you pay, that 
this very flesh is not judged, neither raised up. 
Consider, in what were ye saved ? in what did ye 
look up. if not whilst ye were in this flesh ? We 
must, tnerefore, keep our flesh as the temple 
of God. For in like manner as ye were called 
in the flesh, ye shall also come to judgment, in 
the flesh. Our one Lord Jesus Christ, who has 


saved us, being first a spirit, was made flesh, 
and so called us : even so toe also in this fles't, 
shall receive the reward (of heaven). (II. Cor¬ 
inthians, ch. iv. Apoc. See also the Christian 
Creed : “ I believe in the resurrection of the 
body .”) 

2 Luke, xxiv. 37. 

3 Luke, xxiv. 43, 43. * John, xxi. 12,13. 



230 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


was which, appeared to the disciples, as it seems from this that the 
disciples could not be convinced that Jesus was not a spirit until he 
had actually eaten something. 

Now, if the eating part is struck out—which the “ John ” nar¬ 
rator does, and which, no doubt, the ridicule cast upon it drove him 
to do—the “Luke” narrator leaves the question just where he 
found it. It was the business of the “John ” narrator to attempt 
to leave it clean, and put an end to all cavil. 

Jesus appeared to the disciples when they assembled at Jerusa¬ 
lem. “And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands 
and his side.’ 51 They were satisfied, and no doubts were expressed. 
But Thomas was not present, and when he was told by the breth¬ 
ren that Jesus had appeared to them, he refused to believe ; nor 
would he, a Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, 
and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand 
into his side, I will not believe.” 1 2 Now, if Thomas could be con¬ 
vinced, with all his doubts, it would be foolish after that to deny 
that Jesus was not in the body when he appeared to his disciples. 

After eight days Jesus again appears, fcfr no other purpose—as 
it would seem—but to convince the doubting disciple Thomas. 
Then said he to Thomas : “ Beach hither thy finger, and behold 
my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side ; 
and be not faithless, but believing.” 3 This convinced Thomas, and 
he exclaimed: “My Lord and my God.” After this evidence , if 
there were still unbelievers, they were even more skeptical than 
Thomas himself. We should be at a loss to understand why the 
writers of the first three Gospels entirely omitted the story of 
Thomas , if we were not aware that when the “ John ” narrator 
wrote,the state of the public mind was such that proof of the most 
unquestionable character was demanded that Christ Jesus had risen 
in the body. The “John ” narrator selected a person who claimed 
he was hard to convince, and if the evidence was such as to satisfy 
him , it ought to satisfy the balance of the world. 4 

The first that we knew of the fourth Gospel—attributed to 
John— is from the writings of Irencmis (a. d. 177-202), and the 
evidence is that he is the author of it . 6 That controversies were 
rife in his day concerning the resurrection of Jesus, is very evident 
from other sources. We find that at this time the resurrection of 


1 John, xx. 20. 

3 John, xx. 25. 

3 John, xx. 27. 

4 See, for a farther account of the resurrec¬ 


tion, Rebor’s Christ of Paul ; Scott’s English 
Life of Jesus ; and Greg’s Creed of Christen¬ 
dom. . 

6 See the Chapter xxxviii. 




THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. 231 

the dead (according to the accounts of the Christian forgers) was 
very far from being esteemed an uncommon event; that the 
miracle was frequently performed on necessary occasions by great 
fasting and the joint supplication of the church of the place, and 
that the persons thus restored by their prayers had lived afterwards 
among them many years. At such a period, when faith could 
boast of so many wonderful victories over death, it seems difficult 
to account for the skepticism of those philosophers, who still re¬ 
jected and derided the doctrine of the resurrection. A noble Gre¬ 
cian had rested on this important ground the whole controversy, 
and promised Tlieophilus, bishop of Antioch, that if he could be 
gratified by the sight of a single person ivho had been actually 
raised from the dead , he would immediately embrace the Christian 
religion. 

“ It is somewhat remarkable,” says Gibbon, the historian, from 
whom w T e take the above, “ that the prelate of the first Eastern 
Church, however anxious for the conversion of his friend, thought 
proper to decline this fair and reasonable challenge.” 1 

This Christian saint , Irengeus, had invented many stories of 
others being raised from the dead, for the purpose of attempting 
to strengthen the belief in the resurrection of Jesus. In the words 
of the IIev. Jeremiah Jones : 

“ Such pious frauds were very common among Christians even in the first 
three centuries ; and a forgery of this nature, with the view above-mentioned, 
seems natural and probable. ” 

One of these “ pious frauds ” is the “ Gospel of Nicodemus 
the Disciple, concerning the Sufferings and Resurrection of our 
Master and Saviour Jesus Christ .” Although attributed to 
Nicodemus, a disciple of Jesus, it has been shown to be a forgery, 
written towards the close of the second century—during the time 
of Irenmts, the well-known pious forger. In this book we find the 
following : 

“And now hear me a little. We all know the blessed Simeon, the high- 
priest, who took Jesus when an infant into his arms in the temple. This same 
Simeon had two sons of his own, and we were all present at their death and 
funeral. Go therefore and see their tombs, for these are open, and they are risen ; 
and behold, they are in the city of Arimatliasa, spending their time together in 
offices of devotion.” 2 

The purpose of this story is very evident. Some “ zealous 
believer,” observing the appeals for proof of the resurrection, 
wishing to make it appear that resurrections from the dead were 


i Gibbon’s Rome, vol. i. p. 541. 


3 Nicodemus, Apoc. ch. xii. 



232 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


common occurrences, invented this story towards the close of the 
second century , and fathered it upon Nicodemus. 

We shall speak, anon, more fully on the subject of the frauds 
of the early Christians, the “ lying and deceivingybr the cause of 
Christ ,” which is carried on even to the present day. 

As President Cheney of Bates College has lately remarked, 
a The resurrection is the doctrine of Christianity and the founda¬ 
tion of the entire system, ”* but outside of the four spurious gos¬ 
pels this greatest of all recorded miracles is hardly mentioned. 
“We have epistles from Peter, James, John, and Jude—all of 
whom are said by the evangelists to have seen Jesus after he rose 
from the dead, in none of which epistles is the fact of the resurrec¬ 
tion even stated, much less that Jesus was seen by the writer after 
his resurrection.” 1 2 

Many of the early Christian sects denied the resurrection of 
Christ Jesus, but taught that he will rise, when there shall be a 
general resurrection. 

No actual representation of the resurrection of the Christian’s 
Saviour has yet been found among the monuments of early Chris¬ 
tianity. The earliest representation of this event that has been 
found is an ivory carving, and belongs to the fifth or sixth 
century. 3 


1 Baccalaureate Sermon, June 26th, 1881. 

2 Greg : The Creed of Christendom, p. 284. 


8 See Jameson’s Hist, of Our Lord in Art, 
vol. ii., and Lundy’s Monumental Christianity. 



CHAPTEK XXIV. 


THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST JESUS, AND THE MILLENNIUM. 

The second coming of Christ Jesus is clearly taught in the 
canonical, as well as in the apocryphal, books of the New Testa¬ 
ment. Paul teaches, or is made to teach it / in the following 
words: 

“ If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep 
in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the 
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coining of the Lord, shall not 
prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven 
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, 
and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall 
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and 
so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 2 

He further tells the Thessalonians to “ abstain from all appear¬ 
ance of evil,” and to “ be preserved blameless unto the coming of 
our Lord Jesus Christ.” 3 

James, 4 in his epistle to the brethren, tells them not to be in 
too great a hurry for the coming of their Lord, but to “ be patient” 
and wait for the “ coming of the Lord,” as the “ husbandman 
waiteth for the j^recious fruit of the earth.” But still he assures 
them that “ the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” 5 

Peter, in his first epistle, tells his brethren that “ the end of 
all things is at hand,” 6 and that when the “ chief shepherd ” does 
appear, they “ shall receive a crown of glory that fadetli not 
away.” 7 

John, in his first epistle, tells the Christian community to “ abide 


1 We say “is made to teach it,” for the 
probability is that Paul never wrote this pas¬ 
sage. The authority of both the Letters to the 
Thessalonians, attributed to Paul, is undoubt¬ 
edly spurious. (See The Bible of To-Day, pp. 
211 , 212 .) 

2 I. Thessalonians, iv. 14-17. 

2 Ibid. v. 22, 23. 

* We say “James,” but, it is probable that 


we have, in this epistle of James, another pseu¬ 
donymous writing which appeared after the 
time that James must have lived. (See The 
Bible of To-Day, p. 225.) 

6 James, v. 7, 8. 

6 I. f’eter, iv. 7. 

7 I. Peter, v. 7. This Epistle is not authen¬ 
tic. (See The Bible of To-Day, pp. 226, 227, 
228.) ' * 


233 





234 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 




in him” (Christ), so that, “ when he shall appear, we may have con¬ 
fidence, and not be ashamed before him.” 1 

hie further says: 

“Behold, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we * , 
shall be, but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we 
shall see him as he is.” 2 

According to the writer of the book of “ The Acts,” when 
Jesus ascended into heaven, the Apostles stood looking up towards 
heaven, where he had gone, and while thus engaged : “ behold, two 
men stood by them (dressed) in white apparel,” who said unto them : 

“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? This same Jesus 
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have 
seen him go (up) into heaven.’' 3 * 

The one great object which the writer of the book of Revela¬ 
tions wished to present to view, was “ the second coming of Christ .” 

This writer, who seems to have been anxious for that time, which 
was “ surely ” to come “ quickly; ” ends his book by saying : 
“Even so, come Lord Jesus. 5 ” 

The two men, dressed in white apparel, who had told the 
Apostles that Jesus should “ come again,” were not the only per¬ 
sons whom they looked to for authority. lie himself (according 
to the Gospel) had told them so: 

“ The Son of man shall come (again) in the glory of his Father with his 
angels. ” 

And, as if to impress upon their minds that his second coming 
should not be at a distant day, he further said: 

“ Yerily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of 
death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” 5 

This, surely, is very explicit, but it is not the only time he 
speaks of his second advent. When foretelling the destruction 
of the temple, his disciples came unto him, saying: 

“Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy com¬ 
ing ? ” 6 

Ilis answer to this is very plain: 

“Yerily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be 
fulfilled (i. e., the destruction of the temple and his second coming), but of that 
day and hour knowelh no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father 
only.” 7 


1 1. John, ii. 28. This epistle is not authen¬ 

tic. (See Ibid. p. 231.) 

3 I. jFohn, v. 2. 

8 Acts, i. 10, 11. 


4 Rev. xxii. 20. 

6 Matt. xvi. 27, 28. 
4 Ibid. xxiv. 3. 

7 Ibid. xxiv. 34-36. 





THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST JESUS. 


235 


In tlie second Epistle attributed to Peter, which was written 
after that generation had passed away, 1 there had begun to be some 
impatience manifest among the believers , on account of the long 
delay of Christ Jesus’ second coming. “ Where is the promise of 
his coming ? ” say they, u for since the fathers fell asleep all tilings 
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” 2 In 
attempting to smoothe over matters, this writer says : “ There shall 
come in the last days scoffers, saying: £ Where is the promise of 
his coming ? ’ ” to "which he replies by telling them that they "were 
ignorant of all the ways of the Lord, and that: “ One day is with 
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 
He further says : “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise 
and that “ the day of the Lord will come” This coming is to be 
“ as a thief in the night,” that is, when they least expect it. 3 

Ho wonder there should have been scoffers—as this writer calls 
them—the generation which was not to have passed away before 
his coming, had passed away; all those who stood there ) had been 
dead many years; the sun had not yet been darkened ; the stars 
were still in the heavens, and the moon still continued to reflect 
light. Hone of the predictions had yet been fulfilled. 

Some of the early Christian Fathers have tried to account for 
the words of Jesus, where he says: “ Yerily I say unto you, there 
be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they see 
the Son of man coming in his kingdom,” by saying that he referred 
to John only, and that that Apostle was not dead, but sleeping. 
This fictitious story is related by Saint Augustin, “ from the re¬ 
port,” as he says, “ of credible persons,” and is to the effect that: 

“ At Ephesus, where St. John the Apostle lay buried, he was not believed to 
be dead, but to be sleeping only in tlie grave, which he had provided for himself 
till our Saviour’s second coming: in proof of which, they affirm, that the earth, 
under which he lay, was seen to heave up and down perpetually, in conformity 
to the motion of his body, in the act of breathing.” 4 

This story clearly illustrates the stupid credulity and superstition 
of the primitive age of the church, and the faculty of imposing any 
fictions upon the people, which their leaders saw fit to inculcate. 

The doctrine of the millennium designates a certain period in 
the history of the world, lasting for a long, indefinite space (vaguely 
a thousand years , as the word “ millennium ” implies) during which 
the kingdom of Christ Jesus will be visibly established on the earth. 
The idea undoubtedly originated proximately in the Messianic ex- 


i Towards the close of the second century. 2 II. Peter, iii. 4. 3 II. Peter, iii. 8-10. 

(See Bible of To-Day.) 4 See Middleton's Works, vol. i. p. 188. 



236 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


pectation of tlie Jews (as Jesus did not sit on the throne of David 
and become an earthly ruler, it must be that he is coming again for 
this purpose), but more remotely in the Pagan doctrine of the final 
triumph of the several “ Christs ” over their adversaries. 

In the first century of the Church, mUlenarianism was a whis¬ 
pered belief, to which the book of Daniel, and more particularly the 
predictions of the Apocalypse 1 gave an apostolical authority, but, 
when the church imbibed Paganism , their belief on this subject 
lent it a more vivid coloring and imagery. 

The unanimity which the early Christian teachers exhibit in 
regard to mUlenarianism , proves how strongly it had laid hold of 
the imagination of the Church, to which, in this early stage, immor¬ 
tality and future rewards were to a great extent things of this world 
as yet. Not only did Cerintlius, but even the orthodox doctors— 
such as Papias (Bishop of Hierapolis), Iren sens, Justin Martyr and 
others—delighted themselves with dreams of the glory and magnifi¬ 
cence of the millennial kingdom. Papias, in his collection of 
traditional sayings of Christ Jesus, indulges in the most monstrous 
representations of the re-building of Jerusalem, and the colossal 
vines and grapes of the millennial reign. 

According to the general opinion, the millennium was to be 
preceded by great calamities, after which the Messiah j Christ Jesus, 
would appear, and would bind Satan for a thousand years, annihilate 
the godless heathen, or make them slaves of the believers, overturn 
the Koman empire, from the ruins of which a new order of things 
would spring forth, in which “ the dead in Christ” would rise, and 
along with the surviving saints enjoy an incomparable felicity in 
the city of the “New Jerusalem.” Finally, all nations would bend 
their knee to him, and acknowledge him only to be the Christ —his 
religion would reign supreme. This is the “ Golden Age ” of the 
future, which all nations of antiquity believed in and looked for¬ 
ward to. 

We will first turn to India , and shall there find that the Hin¬ 
doos believed their “ Saviour ,” or “ Preserver” Vishnu , who ap¬ 
peared in mortal form as Crishna , is to come again in the latter 
days. Their sacred books declare that in the last days, when the 
fixed stars have all apparently returned to the point whence 
they started, at the beginning of all things, in the month Scorpio , 
Vishnu will appear among mortals, in the form of an armed war¬ 
rior, riding a winged white' horse* In one hand he will carry a 


1 Chapters xx. and xxi. in particular. 

3 The Christian Saviour, as well as the Hin¬ 


doo Saviour , will appear “ in the latter days” 
among mortals “ in the form of an armed war* 




THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST JESUS. 



scimitar, “ blazing like a comet,” to destroy all the impure who 
shall then dwell on the face of the earth. In the other hand he 
will carry a large shining ring, to signify that the great circle of 
Yugas (ages) is completed, and that the end has come. At his 
approach the sun and moon will be darkened, the earth in ill tremble, 
and the stars fall from the firmamenth 

The Buddhists believe that Buddha has repeatedly assumed a 
human form to facilitate the reunion of men with his own universal 
soul, so they believe that “in the latter days ” he will come again. 
Their sacred books predict this coming, and relate that his mission 
will be to restore the world to order and happiness. 2 This is exact¬ 
ly the Christian idea of the millennium. 

The Chinese also believe that “in the latter days ” there is to be 
a millennium upon earth. Their five sacred volumes are full of 
prophesies concerning this “Golden Age of the Future.” It is the 
universal belief among them that a “ Divine Man ” will establish 
himself on earth, and everywhere restore peace and happiness. 3 

The ancient Persians believed that in the last days, there would 
be a millennium on earth, when the religion of Zoroaster would be 
accepted by all mankind. The Parsecs of to-day, who are the 
remnants of the once mighty Persians, have a tradition that a holy 
personage is waiting in a region called Kanguedez, for a summons 
from the Ized Serosch, who in the last days will bring him to Per¬ 
sia, to restore the ancient dominion of that country, and spread the 
religion of Zoroaster over the whole earth. 4 

The Bev. Joseph B. Gross, in his “Heathen Beligion,” 5 speak¬ 
ing of the belief of the ancient Persians in the millennium, says : 


“The dead would he raised, 6 and he who has made all things, cause the 
earth and the sea to return again the remains of the departed. 7 Then Ormuzd 
shall clothe them with flesh and blood, while they that live at the time of the 
resurrection, must die in order to likewise participate in its advantage. 

“Before this momentous event takes place, three illustrious prophets shall 
appear, who will announce their presence by the performance of miracles. 

“ During this period of its existence, and till its final removal, the earth will 
be afflicted with pestilence, tempests, war, famine, and various other baneful 
calamities.” 8 


rior, riding a white horse .” St. John sees this 
in his vision, and prophecies it in his “Revela¬ 
tion ” thus : “ And I saw, and behold a white 
horse: and he that sat on him had a bow ; 
and a crown was given unto him : and he went 
forth conquering, and to conquer.” (Rev. vi. 2.) 

1 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 75. Hist. 
Hindostan, vol. ii. pp. 497-503. See also, Wil¬ 
liams : Hinduism, p. 108. 

2 Prog. Relig. Ideas, i, 247, and Bunsen’s 
Angcl-Meesiah, p. 48. 


3 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 209. 

4 See Ibid. p. 279. The Angel-Messiah, p. 
287, and chap. xiii. this work. 

6 Pp. 122, 123. 

6 “ And I saw the dead, small and great, 
stand before God.” (Rev. xx. 12.) 

7 “ And the sea gave up the dead which 
were in it.” (Rev. xx. 13.) 

8 “ And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of 
wars.” “ Nation shall rise against nation, and 







238 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“After the resurrection, every one will be apprised of the good or evn 
which lie may have done, and the righteous and the wicked will be separated 
from each other. 1 Those of the latter whose offenses have not yet been expiated, 
will be cast into hell during the term of three days and three nights, 2 in the 
presence of an assembled world, in order to be purified in the burning stream of 
liquid ore. 3 After this, they enjoy endless felicity in the society of the blessed, 
and the pernicious empire of Ahriman (the devil), is fairly exterminated. 4 Even 
this lying spirit will be under the necessity to avail himself of this fiery ordeal, 
and made to rejoice in its expurgating and cleansing efficacy. Nay, hell itself is 
purged of its mephitic impurities, and washed clean in the flames of a universal 
regeneration. 5 

“ The earth is now the habitation of bliss, all nature glows in light; and the 
equitable and benignant laws of Ormuzd reign supremely through the illimitable 
universe. 6 Finally, after the resurrection, mankind will recognize each other 
again; wants, cares, and passions will cease; 7 and everything in the paradisian 
and all-embracing empire of light, shall rebound to the praise of the benificent 
God.” 8 

The disciples of Bacchus expected his second advent. They 
hoped he would assume at some future day the government of the 
universe, and that he would restore to man his primary felicity. 9 

The Esthonian from the time of the German invasion lived a 
life of bondage under a foreign yoke, and the iron of his slavery 
entered into his soul. He told how the ancient hero Kalewipoeg 
sits in the realms of shadows, waiting until his country is in its 
extremity of distress, when he will return to earth to avenge the 
injuries of the Esths, and elevate the poor crushed people into a 
mighty power. 10 

The suffering Celt has his Brian Boroihme, or Arthur, who will 
come again , the first to inaugurate a Fenian millennium, the second 
to regenerate Wales. Olger Dansk waits till the time arrives when 
he is to start from sleep to the assistance of the Dane against the 
hated Prussian. The Messiah is to come and restore the kingdom 


kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be 
famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers 
places.” (Matt. xxiv. 6, 7.) 

1 “And before him shall be gathered all na¬ 
tions : and he shall separate them one from 
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from 
the goats. (Matt. xxv. 32, 33.) 

2 “ He descended into hell, the third day he 
rose (again) from the dead.” (Apostles’ 
Creed.) 

3 Purgatory—a place in which souls are 
supposed by the papists to be purged by lire 
from carnal impurities, before they are received 
into heaven. 

4 “And he laid hold on the dragon, that 
old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and 
bound him a thousand years.” (Rev. xx. 2.) 

6 “ And death and hell were cast into the 


lake of fire.” (Rev. xx. 14.) 

6 “ And I saw a new heaven and a new 
earth ; for the first earth, and the first heaven 
were passed away.” (Rev. xxi. 1.) 

7 “ And God shall wipe away all tears 
from their eyes; and there shall be no more 
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither 
shall there be any more pain : for the former 
things are passed away.” (Rev. xxi. 4.) 

8 “ And after these things I heard a great 
voice of much people in heaven, saying, ‘Alle¬ 
luia; salvation, and glory, and honor, and 
power, unto the Lord, our God.’” (Rev. 
xix. 1.) “For the Lord God omnipotent 
reigneth.” (Rev. xix. 6.) 

8 Dupuis : Orig. Relig. Belief. 

10 Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. 1. 
p. 407. 




THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST JESUS. 


239 


of the Jews. Charlemagne was the Messiah of mediaeval Teuton- 
dom. He it was who founded the great German empire, and shed 
over it the blaze of Christian truth, and now he sleeps in the Kyff- 
hauserberg, waiting till German heresy has reached its climax and 
Germany is wasted through internal conflicts, to rush to earth once 
more, and revive the great empire and restore the Catholic faith. 1 2 

The ancient 1Scandinavians believed that in the “latter days' 5 
great calamities would befall mankind. The earth would tremble, 
and the stars fall from heaven. After which, the great serpent 
would be chained, and the religion of Odin would reign supreme. 3 

The disciples of Quetzalcoatle , the Mexican Saviour, expected 
his second advent. Before he departed this life, he told the in¬ 
habitants of Cholula that he would return again to govern them. 3 
This remarkable tradition was so deeply cherished in their hearts, 
says Mr. Prescott in his “ Conquest of Mexico,” that u the Mexicans 
looked confidently to the return of their benevolent deity.” 4 

So implicitly was this believed by the subjects, that when the 
Spaniards appeared on the coast, they were joyfully hailed as the 
returning god and his companions. Montezuma’s messengers re¬ 
ported to the Inca that “ it was Quetzalcoatle who was coming, 
bringing his temples (ships) with him.” All throughout Hew 
Spain they expected the reappearance of this “ Son of the Great 
God ” into the world, who would renew all things. 5 

Acosta alludes to this, in his “ History of the Indies,” as fol¬ 
lows : 

“ In the beginning of the year 1518, they (the Mexicans), discovered a fleet at 
sea, in the which was the Marques del Valle, Don Fernando Cortez, with his com¬ 
panions, a news which much troubled Montezuma, and conferring with his 
council, they all said, that without doubt, their great and ancient lord Quetzal¬ 
coatle was come, who had said that he would return from the East, whither he 
had gone.” 6 

The doctrine of the millennium and the second advent of Christ 
Jesus, has been a very important one in the Christian church. The 
ancient Christians were animated by a contempt for their present 
existence, and by a just confidence of immortality, of which the 
doubtful and imperfect faith of modern ages cannot give us any 
adequate notion. In the primitive church, the influence of truth 
was powerfully strengthened by an opinion, which, however much 
it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, has not been 


1 Baring-Gould : Orig. Kelig. Belief, vol. i. 
p. <!07. 

2 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities. 

8 Humboldt: Amer. Ees., vol. i. p. 91. 


4 Prescott: Con. of Mexico, vol. i. p. 60. 

6 Fergusson : Tree and Serpent Worship, p. 
37. Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 187, 

• Acosta : Hist. Indies, vol. ii.p. 513. 




240 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


found agreeable to experience. It was universally believed , that 
the end of the world and the kingdom of heaven were at hand. 1 The 
near approach of this wonderful event had been predicted, as we 
have seen, by the Apostles ; the tradition of it was preserved by 
their earliest disciples, and those who believed that the discourses 
attributed to Jesus were really uttered by him, were obliged to expect 
the second and glorious coming of the “ Son of Man ” in the clouds? 
before that generation was totally extinguished which had beheld 
his humble condition upon earth, and which might still witness 
the calamities of the Jews under Vespasian or Hadrian. The revolu¬ 
tion of seventeen centuries has instructed us not to press too closely 
the mysterious language of prophecy and revelation ; but as long as 
this error was permitted to subsist in the church, it was productive 
of the most salutary effects on the faith and practice of Christians, 
who lived in the awful expectation of that moment when the globe 
itself and all the various races of mankind, should tremble at the 
appearance of their divine judge. This expectation was counte¬ 
nanced—as we have seen—by the twenty-fourth chapter of St. 
Matthew, and by the first epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians. 
Erasmus (one of the most vigorous promoters of the Reformation) 
removes the difficulty by the help of allegory and metaphor; and 
the learned Grotius (a learned theologian of the 16th century) ven¬ 
tures to insinuate, that, for wise purposes, the pious deception was 
permitted to take place. 

The ancient and popular doctrine of the millennium was inti¬ 
mately connected with the second coming of Christ Jesus. As the 
works of the creation had been fixed in six days , their duration in 
the present state, according to a tradition which was attributed to 
the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years . 2 By the same 
analogy it was inferred, that this long period of labor and conten¬ 
tion, which had now almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful 
Sabbath of a thousand years , and that Christ Jesus, with the trium¬ 
phant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who 
had been miraculously revived, would reign upon earth until the time 
appointed for the last and general resurrection. So pleasing was this 
hope to the mind of the believers, that the “New Jerusalem,” the 


1 Over all the Higher Asia there seems to 
have been diffused an immemorial tradition 
relative to a second grand convulsion of na¬ 
ture, and the final dissolution of the earth by 
the terrible agency of firk, as the first is said 
to have been by that of water. It was 

taught by the Hindoos, the Egyptians, Plato, 
Pythagoras, Zoroaster, the Stoics, and others, 


and was afterwards adopted by the Christians. 
(II. Peter, iii. 9. Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. pp. 
498-500.) 

2 “ And God made, in six days, the works of 
his hands, . . . the meaning of it is this ; 
that in six thousand years the Lord will bring 
all things to an end.” (Barnabas. Apoc. c. 
xiii.) 





THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST JESUS. 


241 


seat of this blissful kingdom, was quickly adorned with all the gay¬ 
est colors of the imagination. A felicity consisting only of pure 
and spiritual pleasure would have been too refined for its in¬ 
habitants, who were still supposed to possess their human nature 
and senses. A “ Garden of Eden,” with the amusements of the 
pastoral life, was no longer suited to the advanced state of society 
which prevailed under the Roman empire. A city was therefore 
erected of gold and precious stones, and a supernatural plenty of 
corn and wine was bestowed on the adjacent territory; in the free 
enjoyment of whose spontaneous productions, the happy and benev¬ 
olent people were never to be restrained by any jealous laws of ex¬ 
clusive property. Most of these pictures were borrowed from a 
misrepresentation of Isaiah, Daniel, and the Apocalypse. One of 
the grossest images may be found in Irenseus (1. v.) the disciple of 
Papias, who had seen the Apostle St. John. Though it might not 
be universally received, it appears to have been the reigning senti¬ 
ment of the orthodox believers; and it seems so well adapted to 
the desires and apprehensions of mankind, that it must have con¬ 
tributed in a very considerable degree to the progress of the Chris¬ 
tian faith. But when the edifice of the church was almost com¬ 
pleted, the temporary support was laid aside. The doctrine of 
Christ Jesus’ reign upon earth was at first treated as a profound 
allegory, was considered by degrees as a doubtful and useless opin¬ 
ion, and was at length rejected as the absurd invention of heresy 
and fanaticism. But although this doctrine had been “ laid aside,” 
and “ rejected,” it was again resurrected, and is alive and rife at 
the present day, even among those who stand as the leaders of the 
orthodox faith. 

The expectation of the “ last day ” in the year 1000 a. d., rein¬ 
vested the doctrine with a transitory importance; but it lost all 
credit again when the hopes so keenly excited by the crusades 
faded away before the stern reality of Saracenic success, and the 
predictions of the “ Everlasting Gospel,” a work of Joachim de 
Floris, a Franciscan abbot, remained unfulfilled. 1 

At the period of the Reformation , millenarianism once more 
experienced a partial revival, because it was not a difficult matter 


’ After the devotees and followers of the Francis was “ wholly and entirely transformed 

new gospel had in vain expected the Holy into the person of Christ "—Totum Christo 

One who wa3 to come, they at last pitched configuratum. Some of them maintained that 

upon St. Francis as having been the expected the gospel of Joachim was expressly prefer- 

one, and, of course, the most surprising and red to the gospel of Christ. (Mosheim : Hist, 

absurd miracles were said to have been per- Cent., xiii. pt. ii. sects, xxxiv. and xxxvi. 

formed by him. Some of the fanatics who Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 6t?5,) 

believed in this man, maintained that St. 

1G 



242 BIBLE MYTHS. 

to apply some of its symbolism to the papacy. The Pope, for ex¬ 
ample, was Antichrist —a belief still adhered to by some extreme 
Protestants. Yet the doctrine was not adopted by the great body 
of the reformers, but by some fanatical sects, such as the Anabaptists, 
and by the Theosophists of the seventeenth century. 

During the civil and religious wars in France and England, 
when great excitement prevailed, it was also prominent. The 
“ Fifth Monarchy Men ” of Cromwell’s time were millenarians of the 
most exaggerated and dangerous sort. Their peculiar tenet was that 
the millennium had come, and that they were the saints who were 
to inherit the earth. The excesses of the French Roman Catholic 
Mystics and Quietists terminated in chiliastid views. Among the 
Protestants it was during the “ Thirty Years’ War ” that the most en¬ 
thusiastic and learned chiliasts flourished. The awful suffering and 
wide-spread desolation of that time led pious hearts to solace them¬ 
selves with the hope of a peaceful and glorious future. Since then 
the penchant which has sprung up for expounding the prophetical 
books of the Bible, and particularly the Apocalypse , with a view to 
present events, has given the doctrine a faint semi-theological life, 
very different, however, from the earnest faith of the first Christians. 

Among the foremost chiliastic teachers of modem centuries are 
to be mentioned Ezechiel Meth, Paul Felgenhauer, Bishop Co- 
menius, Professor Jurien, Seraris, Poirefc, J. Mede; while Thomas 
Burnet and William Whiston endeavored to givechiliasm a geolog¬ 
ical foundation, but without finding much favor. Latterly, es¬ 
pecially since the rise and extension of missionary enterprise, the 
opinion has obtained a wide currency, that after the conversion of 
the whole world to Christianity, a blissful and glorious era will en¬ 
sue ; but not much stress—except by extreme literalists—is now 
laid on the nature or duration of this far-off felicity. 

Great eagerness, and not a little ingenuity have been exhibited 
by many persons in fixing a date for the commencement of the 
millennium. The celebrated theologian, Johann Albrecht Bengel, 
who, in the eighteenth century, revived an earnest interest in the 
subject amongst orthodox Protestants, asserted from a study of the 
prophecies that the millennium would begin in 1836. This date 
was long popular. Swedenborg held that the last judgment took 
place in 1757, and that the new church, or “ Church of the New 
Jerusalem ,” as his followers designate themselves—in other words, 
the millennial era— then began. 


1 Chiliasm —the thousand years when Satan is bound. 



THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST JESUS. 


243 


In A merica, considerable agitation was excited by the preaching 
of one William Miller, who fixed the second advent of Christ 
Jesus about 1843. Of late years, the most noted English millen- 
arian is Dr. John Gumming, who placed the end of the present 
dispensation in 1866 or 1867 ; but as that time has passed without 
any millennial symptoms, he is understood to have modified his 
original views considerably, and now conjectures that the begin¬ 
ning of the millennium will not differ so much after all from the 
years immediately preceding it, as people commonly suppose. 



CHAPTER XXV. 


CHRIST JESUS AS JUDGE OF THE DEAD. 


According to Christian dogma, “ God the Father ” is not to be 
the judge at the last day, but this very important office is to be 
held by “ God the Son. ” This is taught by the writer of “ The 
Gospel according to St. John”—whoever he may have been— 
when he says: 

“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the 
Son”' 


Paul also, in his “ Epistle to the Romans” (or some other person 
wdio has interpolated the passage), tells us that: 

“ In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men,” this judgment shall 
be done “by Jesus Christ ,” his son. 1 2 

Again, in his “ Epistle to Timothy,” 3 he says: 

“ The Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing 
and his kingdom.” 4 


The writer of the “ Gospel according to St. Matthew,” also de¬ 
scribes Christ Jesus as judge at the last day. 6 

How, the question arises, is this doctrine original with Chris¬ 
tianity f To this we must answer no. It was taught, for ages be¬ 
fore the time of Christ Jesus or Christianity, that the Supreme- 
Being—whether “Brahma,” “Zeruane Akerene,” “Jupiter,” 
or “Yah weh,” 8 —was not to be the judge at the last day, but that 
their sons were to hold this position. 

The sectarians of Buddha taught that he (who was the Son of 
God (Brahma) and the Holy Virgin Maya), is to be the judge of the 
dead. 7 


p- 


1 John, v. 22. 

3 Romans, ii. 16. 

3 Not authentic. (See The Bible of To-Day, 
212 .) 

4 II. Timothy, iv. 1. 


[244] 


6 Matt. xxv. 31-46. 

6 Through an error we pronounce this 
name Jehovah. 

7 See Dupuis : Origin of Religions Relief, p. 
366. 



CHRIST JESUS AS JUDGE OF THE DEAD. 


245 


According to the religion of the Hindoos, Crishna (who was 
the Son of God , and the Holy Virgin Devaki), is to be the judge 
at the last day. 1 2 And Yama is the god of the departed spirits, 
and the judge of the dead, according to the Vedas? 

Osiris , the Egyptian “ Saviour ” and son of the “ Immaculate 
Virgin” Neith or Rout, was believed by the ancient Egyptians to 
be the judge of the dead. 3 He is represented on Egyptian monu¬ 
ments, seated on his throne of judgment, bearing a staff, and car¬ 
rying the crux ansata , or cross with a handle. 4 * St. Andrew’s 
cross is upon his breast. His throne is in checkers, to denote the 
good and evil over which he presides, or to indicate the good and 
evil who appear before him as the judge.” 6 

Among the many hieroglyphic titles which accompany his figure 
in these sculptures, and in many other places on the walls of tem¬ 
ples and tombs, are “Lord of Life,” “ The Eternal Ruler,” “Mani- 
fester of Good,” “Revealer of Truth,” “Full of Goodness and 
Truth,” Ac. 6 

Mr. Bonwick, speaking of the Egyptian belief in the last judg¬ 
ment, says: 

“ A perusal of the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew will prepare the reader 
for the investigation of the Egyptian notion of the last judgment.” 1 

Prof. Carpenter, referring to the Egyptian Bible—which is by 
far the most ancient of all holy books 8 —says: 

“ In the ‘ Book of the Dead,’ there are used the very phrases we find in the 
New Testament, in connection icith the day of judgment.” 9 

According to the religion of the Persians, it is Ormuzd , “The 
First Born of the Eternal One ,” who is judge of the dead. He 
had the title of “The All-Seeing,” and “The Just Judge.” 10 

Zeruane Akerene is the name of him who corresponds to “ God 
the Father” among other nations. He was the “ One Supreme 
essence,” the “Invisible and Incomprehensible.” 11 

Among the ancient Greeks , it was Aeacus —Son of the Most 
High God—who was to be judge of the dead. 12 

The Christian Emperor Constantine, in his oration to the clergy, 
speaking of the ancient poets of Greece, says: 


1 See Samuel Johnson’s Oriental Religions, 
p. 504. 

2 See Williams’ Hinduism, p. 25. 

3 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 120. 
Renouf : Religions of the Ancient Egyptians, 
p. 110, and Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 152. 

4 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 151, 

and Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 152. 


6 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 151. 

6 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 154.' 

7 Egyptian Belief, p. 419. 

8 See Ibid. p. 185. 

9 Quoted in Ibid. p. 419. 

10 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 259. 
n Ibid. p. 258. 

is See Bell's Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 16. 



246 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“They affirm that men who are the sons of the gods, do judge departed 
souls.” 1 2 

Strange as it may seem, “ there are no examples of Christ 
Jesus conceived as judge, or the last judgment, in the early art 
of Christianity.” 8 

The author from whom we quote the above, says, “ It w r ould be 
difficult to define the cause of this, though many may be con¬ 
jectured.” 

Would it be unreasonable to “ conjecture” that the early Chris¬ 
tians did not teach this doctrine, but that it was imbibed, in after 
years, with many other heathen ideas ? 


1 Constantine’s Oration to the Clergy, ch. x. vol. ii. p. 392. 

2 Jameson : History of Our Lord, in Art, 3 Ibid. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 


CHRIST JESUS AS CREATOR, AND ALPHA AND OMEGA. 

Christian dogma also teaches that it was not “ God the Father,” 
but “ God the Son ” who created the heavens, the earth, and all 
that therein is. 

The writer of the fourth Gospel says: 

“ All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that 
was made .” 1 

Again: 

“ He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew 
him not .” 2 

In the “ Epistle to the Colossians,” we read that: 

“By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, 
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or 
powers; all things were created by him .” 3 

Again, in the “ Epistle to the Hebrews,” we are told that: 

“ God hath spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all 
things, by whom also he made the world ” 4 

Samuel Johnson, D. O. Allen , 6 and Thomas Maurice,® tell us 
that, according to the religion of the Hindoos, it is Crishna , the 
Son, and the second person in the ever-blessed Trinity , 7 “ who is the 
origin and end of all the worlds; all this universe came into being 
through him , the eternal maker”* 

In the holy book of the Hindoos, called the “ Bhagvat Geeta 
may be found the following words of Crishna , addressed to his 
“ beloved disciple ” Ar-jouan : 

“I am the Lord of all created beings”* “Mankind was created by me of four 
kinds, distinct in their principles, and in their duties; know me then to be the 
Creator of mankind, uncreated, and without decay .” 10 


» John, i. 3. 

8 John, i. 10. 

3 Colossians, i. 

* Hebrews, i. 2. 

6 Allen's India, pp. 137 and 380. 


6 Indian Antiq., vol. ii. p. 288. 

7 See the chapter on the Trinity. 

8 Oriental Religions, p. 502. 

9 Lecture iv. p. 51. 

10 Geeta, p. 52. 


247 



248 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


In Lecture VII., entitled : “ Of the Principles of Nature, and the 
Vital Spirit,” he also says : 

“I am the creation and the dissolution of the whole universe. There is not 
anything greater than I, and all things hang on me.” 

A train, in Lecture IX., entitled, “ Of the Chief of Secrets and 
Prince of Science,” Crishna says : 

“The whole world was spread abroad by me in my invisible form. All 
things are dependent on me.” “ I am the Father and the Mother of this world, 
the Grandsire and the Preserver. I am the Holy One worthy to be known; the 
mystic figure OM . 1 . . . I am the journey of the good; the Comforter; 

the Creator; the Witness; the Resting-place; the Asylum and the Friend .” 2 

In Lecture X., entitled, “ Of the diversity of the Divine Nature,” 
he says: 

“ I am the Creator of all things, and all things proceed from me. Those 
who are endued with spiritual wisdom, believe this and worship me; their very 
hearts and minds are in me; they rejoice amongst themselves, and delight in 
speaking of my name, and teaching one another my doctrine .” 3 

Innumerable texts, similar to these, might be produced from the 
Hindoo Scriptures, but these we deem sufficient to show, in the 
words of Samuel Johnson quoted above, that, “ According to the 
religion of the Hindoos, it is Crishna who is the origin and the end 
of all the worlds;” and that “ all this universe came into being 
through him, the Eternal Maker.” The Chinese believed in One 
Supreme God, to whose honor they burnt incense, but of whom they 
had no image. This “ God the Father ” was not the Creator, ac¬ 
cording to their theology or mythology; but they had another god, 
of whom they had statues or idols, called Natigai , who was the 
god of allterrestrial things ; in fact, God, the Creator of this world 
—inferior or subordinate to the Supreme Being—from whom they 
petition for fine weather, or whatever else they want—a sort of 
mediator . 4 * 

Lanthu , who was born of a “ pure, spotless virgin,” is believed 
by his followers or disciples to be the Creator of all things ; 6 * and 
Taou, a deilied hero, who is mentioned about 560 b. c., is believed 
by some sects and affirmed by their books, to be “ the original source 
and first productive cause of all things.” 8 

In the Chaldean oracles, the doctrine of the “ Only Begotten 
Son,” I A O, as Creator , is plainly taught. 


1 O. M. or A. U. M. is the Hindoo ineffable 
name ; the mystic emblem of the deity. It is 
never uttered aloud, but only mentally by the 
devout. It signifies Brahma, Vishnou, and 
Siva, the IlihUdo Trinity. (See Charles Wilkes 
in Gecta, p. 142, and King's Gnostics and their 
Eemains, p..lG3.) 


2 Geeta, p. 80. 

3 Geeta, p. 84. 

4 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 48. 

6 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 35. 

6 See Davis : Hist. China, vol. ii. pp. 109 and 

113, and Thornton, vol. i. p. 137. 




CHRIST JESUS AS CREATOR. 


249 


According to ancient Persian mythology, there is one supreme 
essence, invisible and incomprehensible, named “ Zeruane Ake- 
rene ,” which signiiies “ unlimited time,” or “ the eternal.” From 
him emanated Ormuzd, the “ King of Light,” the “ First-born of the 
Eternal One,” &c. Now, this “ First-born of the Eternal One” is 
he by whom all things were made, all things came into being 
through him ; he is the Creator. 1 

A large portion of tli ^Zend-Avesta —the Persian Sacred Book or 
Bible—is tilled with prayers to Ormuzd, God’s First-Born. The 
following are samples: 


“I address my prayer to Ormuzd, Creator of all things; who always has 
been, who is, and who will be forever; who is wise and powerful; who made 
the great arch of heaven, the sun, the moon, stars, winds, clouds, waters, earth, 
fire, trees, animals and men, whom Zoroaster adored. Zoroaster, who brought 
to the world knowledge of the law, who knew by natural intelligence, and by 
the ear, what ought to be done, all that has been, all that is, and all that will be; 
the science of sciences, the excellent word, by which souls pass the luminous and 
radiant bridge, separate themselves from the evil regions, and go to light and 
holy dwellings, full of fragrance. 0 Creator, I obey thy laws, I think, act, speak, 
according to thy orders. I separate myself from all sin. I do good works 
according to my power. I adore thee with purity of thought, word, and action. 
I pray to Ormuzd, who recompenses good works, who delivers unto the end all 
those who obey his laws. Grant that I may arrive at paradise, where all is fra¬ 
grance, light, and happiness.” 2 


According to the religion of tlic ancient Assyrians , it was Nar- 
duk , the Logos, the word, “ the eldest son of Ilea,” “ the Merciful 
One,” “ the Life-giver,” &c., who created the heavens, the earth, and 
all that therein is. 8 

Adonis , the Lord and Saviour, was believed to be the Creator of 
men, and god of the resurrection of the dead. 4 

Prometheus , the Crucified Saviour, is the divine forethought, 
existing before the souls of men, and the creator Hominium. 5 

The writer of “The Gospel according to St. John,” has made 
Christ Jesus co-eternal with God, as well as Creator, in these words : 


“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.” “The 
same was in the beginning with God.” 6 

Again, in praying to his Father, he makes Jesus say : 

“ And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory 
which 1 had with thee before the world was.” 1 


i See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 259. In 
the most ancient parts of the Zend-Avesta, 
Ormuzd is said to have created the world by 
his word. (See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 
104, and Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p. 802, Note 
by Guizot.) In the beginning was the word, 
and the word was with God, and the word was 
God.” (John, i. 1.) 


2 Quoted in Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 
267. 

3 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 404. 

4 See Dunlap’s Mysteries of Adoni, p. 156. 

6 See Ibid. p. 156, and Bulfinch, Age of 
Fable. 

6 John, i. 1, 2. 

7 John, xvii. 5. 




250 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Paul is made to say : 

“ And lie (Christ) is before all things.” 1 

Again: 

“Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.”* 

St. John the Divine, in his “ Revelation,” lias made Christ 
Jesus say: 

“lam Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end”—“which is, and 
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty,” 3 “ the first and the last.” 4 

Hindoo scripture also makes Crishna “ the first and the last,” 
“ the beginning and the end.” We read in the “ Geeta,” where 
Crishna is reported to have said : 

“I myself never was not.” 5 “Learn that he by whom all things were 
formed” (meaning himself) “is incorruptible.” 6 “I am eternity and non¬ 
eternity.” 7 “ I am before all things, and the mighty ruler of the universe.” 8 “ I 
am the beginning, the middle and the end of all things.” 9 

Arjouan, his disciple, addresses him thus: 

“ Thou art the Supreme Being, incorruptible, worthy to be known; thou art 
prime supporter of the universal orb; thou art the never-failing and eternal 
guardian of religion; thou art from all beginning , and I esteem thee.” 10 Thou 
art “ the Divine Being, before all other gods.” 11 

Again he says: 

“Reverence! Reverence be unto thee, before and behind! Reverence be 
unto thee on all sides, O thou who art all in all ! Infinite in thy power and thy 
glory ! Thou includest all things, wherefore thou art all things.” 12 

In another Holy Book of the Hindoos, called the “ Vishnu 
Purana,” we also read that Vishnu—in the form of Crishna— 
“ who descended into the womb of the (virgin) Devaki, and was 
born as her son” was “ without beginning, middle or end .” 13 

Buddha is also Alpha and Omega, without beginning or end, 
“The Lord,” “the Possessor of All,” “He who is Omnipotent and 
Everlastingly to be Contemplated,” “the Supreme Bein«\ the 
Eternal One.” 14 

Lao-ldun , the Chinese virgin-born God, who came upon earth 
about six hundred years before Jesus, was without beginning. It 
was said that he had existed from all eternity. 16 


1 Col. i. 17. 

2 Hebrews, xiii. 8. 
a Rev. i. 8, 22, 13. 

4 Rev. i. 17; xii. 13. 
8 Geeta, p. 35. 

6 Geeta, p. 36. 

7 Lecture ix. p. 80. 

6 Lecture x. p. 83. 


9 Lecture x. p. 85. 

10 Lecture ix. p. 91. 

11 Lecture x. p. 84. 

12 Lecture xi. p. 95. 

13 See Vishnu Purana, p. 440. 

14 See chapter xii. 

18 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 200. ' 




CHRIST JESUS AS CREATOR. 


251 


The legends of the Taou-tsze sect in China declare their 
founder to have existed antecedent to the birth of the elements, in 
the Great Absolute; that he is the “pure essence of the teen y” 
that he is the original ancestor of the prime breath of life ; that he 
gave form to the heavens and the earth, and caused creations and 
annihilations to succeed each other, in an endless series, during in¬ 
numerable periods of the world. He himself is made to say : 

“ I was in existence prior to the manifestation of any corporeal shape; I ap¬ 
peared anterior to the supreme being, or first motion of creation.” 1 » 

According to the Zend Avesta , Ormuzd, the tirst-born of the 
Eternal One, is he “ who is, always has been, and who will be for¬ 
ever.” 2 

Zeus was Alpha and Omega. An Orphic line runs thus : 

“Zeus is the beginning, Zeus the middle, out of Zeus all things have been 
made.” 3 

Bacchus was without beginning or end. An inscription on an 
ancient medal, referring to him, reads thus : 

“ It is I who leads you; it is I who protects you, and who saves you. I am 
Alpha and Omega.” 

Beneath this inscription is a serpent with his tail in his mouth, 
thus forming a circle , wdiich was an emblem of eternity among the 
ancients. 4 

Without enumerating them, we may say that the majority of 
the virgin-born gods spoken of in Chapter XII. were like Christ 
Jesus—without beginning or end—and that many of them were 
considered Creators of all tilings. This has led M. Dridon to 
remark (in his Ilist. de Dieu), that in early works of art, Christ 
Jesus is made to take the place of his Father in creation and in 
similar labors, just as in heathen religions an inferior deity does 
the work under a superior one. 


» Thornton : Hist. China, vol. i. p. 137. 

3 Prog. Relig. Ideas, ii. p. 267. 

8 Miiller's Chips, vol. ii. p. 15. 

4 “ C’est moi qui vous conduis, vous et tout 
ce qui vous regarde.' C’est moi, qui vous con¬ 
serve, ou qui vous sauve. Jc suis Alpha et 
Omega. II y a au dessous de l’inscription un 
serpent qui tient sa queue dans sa gueule et 
dans la cercle qu’il decrit, cest trois lettre 


Greques T£E, q U ; sont le nombre 365. Le ser¬ 
pent, qui est’ordinaire unembleme del’elernite 
est ici celui de soleil et de ses revolutions.” 
(Beausobre : Hist, de Manichee. Quoted in 
Lardner’s Works, vol. viii. p. 379.) 

“ I say that I am immortal, Dionysus 
(Bacchus) son of Deus.” ( Aristophanes , in 
Myst. of Adoni, pp. 80 aud 105.) 



CHAPTER XXVII. 


THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS AND THE PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANS. 

The legendary history of Jesus of Nazareth, contained in the 
books of the Hew Testament, is full of prodigies and wonders. 
These alleged prodigies, and the faith which the people seem to 
have put in such a tissue of falsehoods, indicate the prevalent dis¬ 
position of the people to believe in everything, and it was among 
such a class that Christianity was propagated. All leaders of relig¬ 
ion had the reputation of having performed miracles ; the biogra¬ 
phers of Jesus, therefore, not wishing their Master to be outdone, 
have made him also a wonder-worker, and a performer of miracles ; 
without them Christianity could not prosper. Miracles were needed 
in those days, on all special occasions. “ There is not a single his¬ 
torian of antiquity, whether Greek or Latin, who has not recorded 
oracles, prodigies, prophecies, and miracles , on the occasion of some 
memorable events, or revolutions of states and kingdoms. Many of 
these are attested in the gravest manner by the gravest writers, and 
were firmly believed at the time by the people.” 1 

Hindoo sacred books represent Crishna , their Saviour and Re¬ 
deemer, as in constant strife against the evil spirit. He surmounts 
extraordinary dangers ; strews his way with miracles ; raising the 
dead, healing the sick, restoring the maimed, the deaf and the blind ; 
everywhere supporting the weak against the strong, the oppressed 
against the powerful. The people crowded his way and adored 
him as a Gon, and these miracles were the evidences of his divin¬ 
ity for centuries before the time of Jesus. 

The learned Thomas Maurice, speaking of Crishna, tells us that 
he passed his innocent hours at the home of his foster-father, in 
rural diversions, his divine origin not being suspected, until repeated 
miracles soon discovered his celestial origin ; 2 and Sir William 
Jones speaks of his raising the dead , and saving multitudes by his 


1 Dr. Conyers Middleton : Free Enquiry, p. 177. 

252 


2 Indian Antiquities, vol. iii. p. 46, 




THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


253 


miraculous powers. 1 To enumerate the miracles of Crislma would 
be useless and tedious; we shall therefore mention but a few, of 
which the Hindoo sacred books are teeming. 

When Crishna was born, his life was sought by the reigning 
monarch, Kansa, who had the infant Saviour and his father and 
mother locked in a dungeon, guarded, and barred by seven iron 
doors. While in this dungeon the father heard a secret voice dis¬ 
tinctly utter these words: “ Son of Yadu, take up this child and 
carry it to Gokool, to the house of Nanda.” Vasudeva, struck with 
astonishment, answered : “ TIow shall I obey this injunction, thus 
vigilantly guarded and barred by seven iron doors that prohibit 
all egress ?” The unknown voice replied : “ The doors shall open 
of themselves to let thee pass, and behold, I have caused a deep 
slumber to fall upon thy guards, which shall continue till thy jour¬ 
ney be accomplished.” Vasudeva immediately felt his chains mirac¬ 
ulously loosened, and, taking up the child in his arms, hurried 
with it through all the doors, the guards being buried in profound 
sleep. When he came to the river Yumna, which he was obliged 
to cross to get to Gokool, the waters immediately rose up to kiss 
the child’s feet, and then respectfully retired on each side to make 
way for its transportation, so that.Vasudeva passed dry-shod to the 
opposite shore. 3 

When Crishna came to man’s estate, one of his first miracles 
was the cure of a leper. 

A passionate Brahman, having received a slight insult from a 
certain Rajah, on going out of his doors, uttered this curse: “ That 
he should, from head to foot, be covered with boils and leprosy 
which being fulfilled in an instant upon the unfortunate king, he 
prayed to Crishna to deliver him from his evil. At first, Crishna 
did not heed his request, but finally he appeared to him, asking 
what his request was? He replied, “To be freed from my dis¬ 
temper.” The Saviour then cured him of his distemper. 3 

Crishna was one day walking with his disciples, when “ they 
met a poor cripple or lame woman, having a vessel filled with 
spices, sweet-scented oils, sandal-wood, saffron, civet and other per¬ 
fumes. Crishna making a halt, she made a certain sign with her 
finger on his forehead, casting the rest upon liis head. Crishna ask¬ 
ing her what it was she would request of him, the woman replied, 
nothing but the use of my limbs. Crishna, then, setting his foot upon 
hers, and taking her by the hand, raised her from the ground, and not 


» Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 237. 


5 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 331. 


* Ibid. p. 319. 




254 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


only restored her limbs, but renewed her age, so that, instead of a 
wrinkled, tawny skin, she received a fresh and fair one in an in¬ 
stant. At her request, Crishna and his company lodged in her 
house.” 1 2 

On another occasion, Crishna having requested a learned Brah¬ 
man to ask of him whatever boon he most desired, the Brahman said, 
“ Above all things, I desire to have my two dead sons restored to 
life.” Crishna assured him that this should be done, and immedi¬ 
ately the two young men were restored to life and brought to their 
father. 3 

The learned Orientalist, Thomas Maurice, after speaking of the 
miracles performed by Crishna, says : 

“ In regard to the numerous miracles wrought by Crishna, it should be re¬ 
membered that miracles are never wanting to the decoration of an Indian 
romance; they are, in fact, the life and soul of the vast machine; nor is it at all 
a subject of wonder that the dead should be raised to life in a history expressly 
intended, like all other sacred fables of Indian fabrication, for the propagation 
and support of the whimsical doctrine of the Metempsychosis.” 3 

To speak thus of the miracles of Christ Jesus, w T ould, of course, 
be heresy—although what applies to the miracles of Crishna apply 
to those of Jesus—we, therefore, find this gentleman branding as 
“infidel ” a learned French orientalist who was guilty of doing this 

tlling - . • , *&j|| 

Buddha performed great miracles for the good of mankind, and 
the legends concerning him are full of the most extravagant prodi¬ 
gies and wonders. 4 “ By miracles and preaching,” says Burnouf, 
“ was the religion of Buddha established.” 

B. Spence Hardy says of Buddha : 

“All the principal events of his life are represented as being attended by in¬ 
credible prodigies. He could pass through the air at will, and know the 
thoughts of all beings.” 5 

Prof. Max Muller says : 

“The Buddhist legends teem with miracles attributed to Buddha and his 
disciples—miracles which in wonderfulness certainly surpass the miracles of any 
other religion.” 6 

Buddha was at one time going from the city of Rohita-vastu to 
the city of Benares, when, coming to the banks of the river Ganges, 
and wishing to go across, he addressed himself to the owner of a 


1 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 320. Vishnu 
Purana, bk. v. ch. xx. 

2 Prog, Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 68. 

3 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 2G9. 

* See Hardy’s Buddhist Legends, and East¬ 


ern Monachism. Beal’s Romantic Hist. 
Buddha. Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, and Hue’s 
Travels, &c. 

6 Hardy : Buddhist Legends, pp. xxi. xxii. 

6 The Science of Religion, p. 27. 




I 


THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 255 

ferry-boat, thus; “ Hail! respectable sir! I pray you take me 
across the river in your boat!” To this the boatman replied, “ If you 
can pay me the fare, I will willingly take you across the river.” 
Buddha said, Whence shall I procure money to pay you your fare, 
I, who have given up all worldly wealth and riches, &c.” The 
boatman still refusing to take him across, Buddha, pointing to a 
flock of geese flying from the south to the north banks of the Gan¬ 
ges, said: 

“ See yonder geese in fellowship passing o’er the Ganges, 

They ask not as to fare of any boatman. 

But each by his inherent strength of body 
Flies through the air as pleases him. 

So, by my power of spiritual energy, 

Will I transport myself across the river, 

Even though the waters on this southern bank 
Stood up as high and firm as (Mount) Semeru.” 1 2 

He then floats through the air across the stream. 

In the Lolita Vistara Buddha is called the “ Great Physician” 
who is to “ dull all human pain.” At his appearance the “ sick are 
healed, the deaf are cured, the blind see, the poor are relieved.” 
He visits the sick man, Su-ta, and heals soul as well as body. 

At Vaisali, a pest like modern cholera was depopulating the king¬ 
dom, due to an accumulation of festering corpses. Buddha, sum¬ 
moned, caused a strong rain which carried away the dead bodies and 
cured every one. At Gaudhara was an old mendicant afflicted with a 
disease so loathsome that none of his brother monks could go near 
him on account of his fetid humors and stinking condition. The 
“ Great Physician ” was, however, not to be deterred ; he washed the 
poor old man and attended to his maladies. A disciple had his feet 
hacked off by an unjust king, and Buddha cured even him. To 
convert certain skeptical villagers near Sravasti, Buddha showed 
them a man walking across the deep and rapid river without im¬ 
mersing his feet. Purna, one of Buddha’s disciples, had a brother 
in imminent danger of shipwreck in a “ black storm.” The “ spirits 
that are favorable to Puma and Arya ” apprised him of this and he 
at once performed the miracle of transporting himself to the deck 
of the ship. “ Immediately the black tempest ceased, as if Sumera 
arrested it.” 3 

When Buddha was told that a woman was suffering in severe 
labor, unable to bring forth, he said, Go and say : “ I have never 
knowingly put any creature to death since I was born ; by the vir- 


1 Beal : Hist. Buddha, pp. 246, 247. det, pp. 186 and 192. Bournouf : Intro., p. 

2 Dhainmapada, pp. 47, 50 and 90. Bigan* 156. In Lillie’s Buddhism, pp. 139, 140. 




256 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


tue of this obedience may yon be free from pain!” When these 
words were repeated in the presence of the mother, the child was 
instantly born with ease. 1 2 

Innumerable are the miracles ascribed to Buddhist saints, and 
to others who followed their example. Their garments, and the 
staffs with which they walked, are supposed to imbibe some myste¬ 
rious power, and blessed are they who are allowed to touch them. 3 
A Buddhist saint who attains the power called “ perfection ,” is 
able to rise and float along through the air. 3 Having this power, 
the saint exercises it by mere determination of his will, his body 
becoming imponderous, as when a man in the common human state 
determines to leap, and leaps. Buddhist annals relate the perform¬ 
ance of the miraculous suspension by Gautama Buddha, himself 
as well as by other saints . 4 

In the year 217 b. c., a Buddhist missionary priest, called by 
the Chinese historians Shih-le-fang, came from “ the west” into 
Shan-se, accompanied by eighteen other priests, with their sacred 
books, in order to propagate the faith of Buddha. The emperor, 
disliking foreigners and exotic customs, imprisoned the missiona¬ 
ries ; but an angel, genii, or spirit, came and opened the prison door, 
and liberated them. 5 * 

Here is a third edition of “ Peter in prison,” for we have already 
seen that the Hindoo sage Yasudeva was liberated from prison in 
like manner. 

Zoroaster , the founder of the religion of the Persians, opposed 
his persecutors by performing miracles, in order to confirm his di¬ 
vine mission. 0 

Boehia of the Persians also performed miracles; the places 
where he performed them were consecrated, and people flocked in 
crowds to visit them. 7 

Horns , the Egyptian Saviour, performed great miracles, among 
which was that of raising the dead to life. 8 

Osiris of Egypt also performed great miracles ; 9 and so did the 
virgin goddess Isis. 

Pilgrimages were made to the temples of Isis, in Egypt, by the 
sick. Diodorus, the Grecian historian, says that: 


1 Hardy : Manual of Buddhism. 

2 See Prog, Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 229. 

3 See Tylor : Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 135, 
and Hardy : Buddhist Legends, pp. 98,126, 137. 

4 See Tylor : Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 

135. 

4 Thornton : Hist. China, vol. i. p. 341. 


6 Sec Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, 
p. 240, and Inman's Ancient Faiths, vol. ii n 
400. 

7 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 34. 

8 See Lundy : Monumental Christianity, pp. 
303-405. 

9 See Bonwick's Egyptian Belief. 





y 


T1IE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 257 


** Those who go to consult in dreams the goddess Isis recover perfect health. 
Many whose cure has been despaired of by physicians have by this means been 
saved, and others who have long been deprived of sight, or of some other part of 
the body, by taking refuge, so to speak, in the arms of the goddess, have been 
restored to the enjoyment of their faculties.” 1 2 

Serapis , the Egyptian Saviour, performed great miracles, prin¬ 
cipally those of healing the sick. He was called “ The Healer of 
the World.” 9 

Marduk , the Assyrian God, the “ Logos,” the “ Eldest Son of 
Hea “ He who made Heaven and Earth the “ Merciful One 
the r Life-Giver,” &c., performed great miracles, among which was 
that of raising the dead to life. 3 

Bacchus , son of Zeus by the virgin Semele, was a great per¬ 
former of miracles, among which may be mentioned his changing 
water into wine, 4 as it is recorded of Jesus in the Gospels. 

“ In his gentler aspects he is the giver of joy, the healer of sick¬ 
nesses, the guardian against plagues. As such he is even a law-giver 
and a promoter of peace and concord. As kindling new or strange 
thoughts in the mind, he is a giver of wisdom and the revealer of 
hidden secrets of the future.” 5 * * * 

The legends related of this god state that on one occasion Pan- 
tlieus, King of Thebes, sent his attendants to seize Bacchus, the 
“ vagabond leader of a faction ”—as lie called him. This they 
were unable to do, as the multitude who followed him were too 
numerous. They succeeded, however, in capturing one of his dis¬ 
ciples, Acetes, who was led away and shut up fast in prison ; but 
while they were getting ready the instruments of execution, the 
prison doors came open of their oum accord ’, and the chains fell 
from his limbs , and when they looked for him he was nowhere to 
be found. 0 Here is still another edition of “Peter in prison.” 

JEsculapius was another great performer of miracles. The 
ancient Greeks said of him that he not only cured the sick of the 
most malignant diseases, but even raised the dead . 


1 Quoted by Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. 
Belief, vol. i. p. 397. 

2 See Prichard’s Mythology, p. 347. 

2 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 404. 

4 See Dupuis : Origin of Religious Belief, 
258, and Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 102. Compare 
John, ii. 7. 

A Grecian festival called thyia was ob¬ 

served by the Eleans in honor of Bacchus , The 

priests conveyed three empty vessels into a 

chapel, in the presence of a large assembly, 

after which the doors were shut and sealed. 


li On the morrow the company returned, and 
after every man had looked upon his own seal, 
and seen that it was unbroken, the doors being 
opened, the vessels were found full of wine.” 
The god himself is said to have appeared in 
person and filled the ves^pls. (Bell’sPantheon.) 

6 Cox : Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 235. 

6 Bulfinch: The Age of Fable, p. 225. 
“ And they laid their hands on the apostles, 
and put them in the common prison ; but the 
angel of the Lord by night opened the prison 
doors, and brought them forth.” (Acts, v. 
18, 19.) 


17 



258 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


A writer in Bell’s Pantheon says : 

“ As the Greeks always carried the encomiums of their great men beyond the 
truth, so they feigned that AEsculapius was so expert in medicine as not only to 
cure the sick, but even to raise the dead.” 1 

Eusebius, the ecclesiastical historian, speaking of Aesculapius, 
says: 

“ He sometimes appeared unto them (the Cilicians) in dreams and visions, 
and sometimes restored the sick to health.” 

He claims, however, that this was the work of the Devil, 
u who by this means did withdraw the minds of men from the 
knowledge of the true Saviour .” 2 

Formany years after the death of Aesculapius, miracles contin¬ 
ued to be performed by the efficacy of faith in his name. Patients 
were conveyed to the temple of Aesculapius, and there cured of 
their disease. A short statement of the symptoms of each case, and 
the remedy employed, were inscribed on tablets and hung up in the 
temples. 3 There were also a multitude of eyes, ears, hands, feet, 
and other members of the human body, made of wax, silver, or 
gold, and presented by those whom the god had cured of blindness, 
deafness, and other diseases. 4 

Marinus, a scholar of the philosopher Proclus, relates one of 
these remarkable cures, in the life of his master. He says : 

“ Asclipigenia, a young maiden who bad lived with her parents, w r as seized 
with a grievous distemper, incurable by the physicians. All help from the phy¬ 
sicians failing, the father applied to the philosopher, earnestly entreating him to 
pray for his daughter. Proclus, full of faith, went to the temple of iEsculapius, 
intending to pray for the sick young woman to the god—for the city (Athens) 
was at that time blessed in him, and still enjoyec the undemolished temple of 
The Saviour —but while he was praying, a sudden change appeared in the dam¬ 
sel, and she immediately became convalescent, for the Saviour , JEsculapius, as 
being God, easily healed her.” 5 

Dr. Conyers Middleton says : 

“ Whatever proof the primitive (Christian) Church might have among them¬ 
selves, of the miraculous gift, yet it could have but little effect towards making 
proselytes among those who pretended to the same gift—possessed more largelv 
and exerted more openly, than in the private assemblies of the Christians. For 
in the temples of JEsculapius, all kinds of diseases were believed to be publicly 
cured, by the pretended help of that deity, in proof of which there were erected 
in each temple, columns or tables of brass or marble, on which a distinct narra¬ 
tive of each particular cure was inscribed. Pausanias 6 writes that in the temple 


1 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 28. 

2 Eusebius : Life of Constantine, lib. 3, ch. 
liv. 

“ JEsculapius, the son of Apollo, was en¬ 
dowed by his father with such skill in the 
healing art that he even restored the dead to 
life.” (.Bulfinch: The Age of Fable, p. 246.) 


3 Murray : Manual of Mythology, pp. 179, 
180. 

4 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 304. 

6 Marinus : Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 
151. 

6 Pausanias was one of the most eminent 
Greek geographers and historians. 




THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


259 


at Epidaurus tliere were many columns anciently of this kind, and six of them 
remaining to his time, inscribed with the names of men and women who had been 
cured by the god, with an account of their several cases, and the method of their 
cure ; and that there was an old pillar besides, which stood apart, dedicated to 
the memory of Hippolytus, who had been raised from the dead . Strabo, also, an¬ 
other grave writer, informs us that these temples were constantly filled with the 
sick, imploring the help of the god, and that they had tables hanging around 
them, in which all the miraculous cures were described. There is a remarkable 
fragment of one of these tables still extant, and exhibited by Gruter in his collec¬ 
tion, as it was found in the ruins of JSsculapius’s temple in the Island of the 
Tiber, in Rome, which gives an account of two blind men restored to sight by 
iEsculapius, in the open view, 1 and with the loud acclamation of the people, 
acknowledging the manifest power of the god.” 2 3 

Livy, the most illustrious of Roman historians (bom b. c. 61), 
tells us that temples of heathen gods were rich in the number of 
offerings which the people used to make in return for the cures 
and benefits which they received from them. 2 

A writer in BelVs Pantheon says: 

“ Making presents to the gods was a custom even from the earliest times, 
either to deprecate their wrath, obtain some benefit, or acknowledge some favor. 
These donations consisted of garlands, garments, cups of gold, or whatever con¬ 
duced to the decoration or splendor of their temples. They were sometimes laid 
on the floor, sometimes hung upon the walls, doors, pillars, roof, or any other 
conspicuous place. Sometimes the occasion of the dedication was inscribed, 
either upon the thing itself, or upon a tablet hung up with it.” 4 

No one custom of antiquity is so frequently mentioned by an¬ 
cient historians, as the practice which was so common among the 
heathens , of making votive offerings to their deities, and hanging 
them up in their temples, many of which are preserved to this day, 
viz., images of metal, stone, or clay, as well as legs, arms, and other 
parts of the body, in testimony of some divine cure effected in that 
particular member . 5 

Horace says: 

“-Me tabula sacer 

Votiva paries indicat liumida 
Suspendisse potenti 

Yestimenta maris Deo.” (Lib. 1, Ode V.) 

It was the custom of offering ex-votos of Priapic forms, at the 
church of Isernia, in the Christian kingdom of Naples, during the 
last century, which induced Mr. R. Payne Knight to compile his 
remarkable work on Phallic Worship. 


i “And when Jesus departed thence, two 
blind men followed him, crying and saying : 
thou son of David, have mercy on us. . . . 
And Jesus said unto them : Believe ye that I 
am able to do this ? They said unto him. Yea> 
Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying : 
According to your faith be it unto you, 


and their eyes were opened.” (Matt. ix. 27- 
30.) 

2 Middleton’s Works, vol. i. pp. G3, 64. 

3 Ibid. p. 48. 

4 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. G2. 

5 See Middleton’s Letters from Rome, p. 76. 





260 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Juvenal, wlio wrote a. d. 81-96, says of tlie goddess Isis, 
whose religion was at that time in the greatest vogue at Rome, that 
the painters get their livelihood out of her. This was because u the 
most common of all offerings (made by the heathen to their deities) 
were pictures presenting the history of the miraculous cure or de¬ 
liverance, vouchsafed upon the vow of the donor.” 1 2 One of their 
prayers ran thus: 

“ Now, Goddess, help, for thou canst help bestow, 

As all these pictures round thy altars show.”* 

In Chambers’s Encyclopaedia may be found the following: 

“ Patients that were cured of their ailments (by AEsculapius, or through faith 
in him) hung up a tablet in his temple, recording the name, the disease, and the 
manner of cure. Many of tltese votive tablets are still extant. ” 3 

Alexander S. Murray, of the department of Greek and Roman 
Antiquities in the British Museum, speaking of the miracles per¬ 
formed by ACsculapius , says: 

“A person who had recovered from a local illness -would dictate a sculptured 
representation of the part that had been affected. Of such sculptures there are 
a number of examples in the British Museum .” 4 

Justin Martyr, in his Apology for the Christian religion, ad¬ 
dressed to the Emperor Hadrian, says : 

“As to our Jesus curing the lame, and the paralytic, and such as were crip¬ 
pled from birth, this is little more than what you say of your Aesculapius.” 5 

At a time when the Romans were infested with the plague, 
having consulted their sacred books, they learned that in order to 
be delivered from it, they were to go in quest of AEsculapius at 
Epidaurus; accordingly, an embassy was appointed of ten senators, 
at the head of whom was Quintus Ogulnius, and the worship of 
Aesculapius was established at Rome, a. u. c. 462, that is, b. c. 288. 
But the most remarkable coincidence is that the worship of this 
god continued with scarcely any diminished splendor, for several 
hundred years after the establishment of Christianity. 6 

Hermes or Mercury, the Lord’s Messenger, was a wonder-work¬ 
er. The staff or rod which Hermes received from Plioibos (Apol- 


1 See Middleton’s Letters from Rome, p. 76. 

2 “Nunc Dea, nunc succurre mihi, nam 

posse mederi 

Picta docet temptes multa tabella tuis.” 
(Horace: Tibull. lib. 1, Eleg. iii. In 
Ibid.) 

3 Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Aesculapius.” 

4 Murray : Manual of Mythology, p. 180. 

6 See Taylor’s Diegesis, pp. 153 and 316. 

6 Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 151. See also, Bell's 


Pantheon, vol. i. p. 29. 

“ There were numerous oracles of Aescu¬ 
lapius, but the most celebrated one was at Epi¬ 
daurus. Here the sick sought responses and 
the recovery of their health by sleeping in the 
temple. . . . The worship of Aesculapius 
was introduced into Rome in a time of great 
sickness, and an embassy sent to the temple 
Epidaurus to entreat the aid of the god.” 
(Buifinch : The Age of Fable, p. 397.) 



THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


261 


lo), and which connects this myth with the special emblem of Vish¬ 
nu (the Hindoo Saviour), was regarded as denoting his heraldic 
office. It was, however, always endowed with magic properties, and 
had the power even of raising the dead. 1 

Herodotus, the Grecian historian, relates a wonderful miracle 
which happened among the Spartans , many centuries before the 
time assigned for the birth of Christ Jesus. The story is as fol¬ 
lows : 


A Spartan couple of great wealth and influence, had a daughter born to them 
who was a cripple from birth. Her nurse, perceiving that she was misshapen, 
and knowing her to be the daughter of opulent persons, and deformed, and see¬ 
ing. moreover, that her parents considered her form a great misfortune, consid¬ 
ering these several circumstances, devised the following plan. She carried her 
every day to the temple of the Goddess Helen, and standing before her image, 
prayed to the goddess to free the child from its deformity. One day, as the 
nurse was going out of the temple, a woman appeared to her, and having ap¬ 
peared, asked what she was carrying in her arms; and she answered that she 
was carrying an infant; whereupon she bid her show it to her, but the nurse re¬ 
fused, for she had been forbidden by the parents to show the child to any one. 
The woman, however—who was none other than the Goddess herself—urged 
her by all means to show it to her, and the nurse, seeing that the woman was so 
very anxious to see the child, at length showed it; upon which she, stroking the 
head of the child with her hands, said that she would surpass all the women in 
Sparta in beauty. From that day her appearance began to change, her deformed 
limbs became symmetrical, and when she reached the age for marriage she was 
the most beautiful woman in all Sparta. 2 

Apolloiiius of Tyana, in Cappadocia, wlio was born in the 
latter part of the reign of Augustus, about four years before the 
time assigned for the birth of Jesus, and who was therefore con¬ 
temporary with him, was celebrated for the wonderful miracles he 
performed. Oracles in various places declared that he was endowed 
with a portion of Apollo’s power to cure diseases, and foretell 
events; and those who were affected were commanded to apply to 
him. The priests of Iona made over the diseased to his care, and 
his cures were considered so remarkable, that divine honors were 
decreed to him. 3 

He at one time went to Ephesus, but as the inhabitants did not 
hearken to his preaching, he left there and went to Smyrna, where 
he was well received by the inhabitants. While there, ambassadors 


1 Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 238. 

3 Herodotus : bk. vi. ch. 61. 

3 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 228. 

Gibbon, the historian, says of him : “ Apol¬ 
lonius of Tyana, born about the same time as 
Jesus Christ. His life (that of the former) is 
related in so fabulous a manner by his disci¬ 
ples, that we are at a loss to discover whether 


he was a sage, an impostor, or a fanatic.” 
(Gibbon's Rome, vol. i. p. 353, note.) What 
this learned historian says of Apollonius applies 
to Jesus of Nazareth. His disciples have re¬ 
lated his life in so fabulous a manner, that 
some consider him to have been an impostor, 
others a fanatic, others a sage, and others a 
God. 



262 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


came from Ephesus, begging him to return to that city, where a 
terrible plague was raging, as he had prophesied. He went imme¬ 
diately, and as soon as he arrived, he said to the Ephesians : “ Be 

not dejected, I will this day put a stop to the disease.” According 
to his words, the pestilence was stayed, and the people erected a 
statue to him, in token, of their gratitude. 1 

In the city of Athens, there was one of the dissipated young 
citizens, who laughed and cried by turns, and talked and sang to 
himself, without apparent cause. His friends supposed these habits 
were the effects of early intemperance, but Apollonius, who hap¬ 
pened to meet the young man, told him he was possessed of a 
demon • and, as soon as he fixed his eyes upon him, the demon 
broke out into all those horrid, violent expressions used by people 
on the rack, and then swore he would depart out of the youth, and 
never enter another. 2 The young man had not been aware that 
he was possessed by a devil, but from that moment, his wild, dis¬ 
turbed looks changed, he became very temperate, and assumed the 
garb of a Pythagorean philosopher. 

Apollonius went to Rome, and arrived there after the emperor 
Nero had passed very severe laws against magicians. He was met 
on the way by a person who advised him to turnback and not enter 
the city, saying that all who wore the philosopher’s garb were in 
danger of being arrested as magicians. He heeded not these words 
of warning, but proceeded on his way, and entered the city. It 
was not long before he became an object of suspicion, w T as closely 
watched, and finally arrested, but when his accusers appeared be¬ 
fore the tribunal and unrolled the parchment on which the charges 
against him had been written, they found that all the characters had 
disappeared. Apollonius made such an impression on the magistrates 
by the bold tone he assumed, that he w^as allowed to go where he 
pleased. 3 

Many miracles were performed by him while in Rome, among 
others may be mentioned his restoring a dead maiden to life. 

She belonged to a family of rank, and was just about to be 
married, when she died suddenly. Apollonius met the funeral pro¬ 
cession that was conveying her body to the tomb. He asked them 
to set down the bier, saying to her betrothed ; “ I will dry up the 

tears you are shedding for this maiden.” They supposed he was 
going to pronounce a funeral oration, but he merely took her hand , 
bent over her, and uttered a few words in a low tone. She opened 


1 See Prog. Ilelig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 228. 


3 Ibid. p. 229. 


3 See Ibid. vol. ii. p. 230. 




THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


263 


her eyes, and began to speak, and was carried back alive and well 
to her father’s house. 1 

Passing through Tarsus, in his travels, a young man was pointed 
out to him who had been bitten thirty days before by a mad dog, 
and who was then running on all fours, barking and howling. 
Apollonius took his case in hand, and it was not long before the 
young man was restored to his right mind. 3 

Domitian, Emperor of Pome, caused Apollonius to be arrested, 
during one of his visits to that city, on charge of allowing himself 
to be worshiped (the people having given him divine honors), 
speaking against the reigning powers, and pretending that his words 
were inspired by the gods. He was taken, loaded with irons, and 
cast into prison. u I have bound you,” said the emperor, “ and 
you will not escape me.” 

Apollonius was one day visited in his prison by his steadfast 
disciple, Damus, who asked him when he thought he should recover 
his liberty, whereupon he answered : “ This instant, if it depended 
upon myself,” and drawing his legs out of the shackles, he added: 
“ Keep up your spirits, you see the freedom I enjoy.” He was 
brought to trial not long after, and so defended himself, that the 
empeior was induced to acquit him, but forbade him to leave 
Pome. Apollonius then addressed the emperor, and ended by 
raying: “ You cannot kill me, because I am not mortal;” and 
as soon as he had said these words, he vanished from the tribunal . 3 
Damus (the disciple who had visited him in prison) had previously 
been sent away from Pome, with the promise of his master that 
he would soon rejoin him. Apollonius vanished from the presence 
of the emperor (at Pome) at noon. On the evening of the same 
day , he suddenly appeared before Damus and some other friends 
who were at Puteoli , more than a hundred miles from Rome. 
They started, being doubtful whether or not it was his spirit, but he 
stretched out his hand, saying: “ Take it, and if I escape from you 
regard me as an apparition.” 4 


1 Prog. Relig. Ideas, ii. p. 231. “ There 

came a certain ruler and worshiped him, saying: 

‘ My daughter is even now dead, but come and 

lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 1 

And Jesus arose and followed him, and so did 

his disciples. . . . And when Jesus came into 

the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and 

the people making a noise, he said unto them: 

* Give peace, for the maid is not dead, but 

sleepeth. 1 And ihey laughed him to scorn. 

But when the people were put forth, he went 
$ 


in, and took her by the hand , and the maid 
arose.” (Matt. ix. 18-25.) 

2 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 233. 

3 “He could render himself invisible, evoke 
departed spirits, utter predictions, and discover 
the thoughts of other men.” (Hardy : Eastern 
Monachism, p. 380.) 

4 “And as they thus spoke, Jesus himself 
stood in the midst of them, and said unto 
them : ‘ Peace be unto you. 1 But they were 
terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they 



264 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


When Apollonius had told his disciples that he had made his 
defense in Rome, only a few hours before, they marveled how he 
could have performed the journey so rapidly. He, in reply, said 
that they must ascribe it to a god. 1 

The Empress Julia, wife of Alexander Severus, was so much 
interested in the history of Apollonius, that she requested Flavius 
Philostratus, an Athenian author of reputation, to write an account 
of him. The early Christian Fathers, alluding to this life of Apol¬ 
lonius, do not deny the miracles it recounts, but attribute to them 
the aid of evil spirits. 2 

Justin Martyr was one of the believers in the miracles per¬ 
formed by Apollonius, and by others through him, for he says: 

“ How is it that the talismans of Apollonius have power in certain members 
of creation ? for they prevent , as we see, the fury of the waves, and the violence of 
the winds, and the attacks of wild beasts, and whilst out Lord’s miracles are 
ipreserved by tradition alone, those of Apollonius are most numerous, and actually 
manifested in present facts, so as to lead astray all beholders. ,,z 

So much for Apollonius. We will now speak of another miracle 
performer, Simon Magus. 

Simon the Samaritan, generally called Simon Magus , produced 
marked effects on the times succeeding him ; being the progenitor 
of a large class of sects, which long troubled the Christian churches. 

In the time of Jesus and Simon Magus it was almost univer¬ 
sally believed that men could foretell events, cure diseases, and ob¬ 
tain control over the forces of nature, by the aid of spirits, if they 
knew how to invoke them. It was Simon’s proficiency in this 
occult science which gained him the surname of Magus , or 
Magician. 

The writer of the eighth chapter of “ The Acts of the Apos¬ 
tles ” informs us that when Philip went into Samaria, “ to preach 
Christ unto them,” he found there “ a certain man called Simon, 
which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the 
people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one. 
To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying : 
This man is the great power of God.” 4 

Simon traveled about preaching, and made many proselytes. He 
professed to be “ The Wisdom of Godf “ The Word of God” 


had seen a spirit. And he said unto them : 
4 Why are ye troubled ? and why do thoughts 
arise in your hearts ? Behold my hands and 
my feet, that it is myself ; handle me and see ; 
for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see 
me have.” (Luke, xxiv. 30-39.) 


1 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. pp. 234, 235. 

2 Ibid. p. 238. 

3 Justin Martyr’s “ Quast," xxiv. Quoted 
in King's Gnostics, p. 242. 

4 Acts, viii. 9, 10. 




THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


265 


“ The Paraclete , or Comforter” “ The Image of the Eternal 
Father , Manifested in the Flesh” and liis followers claimed that 
lie was “ The First Born of the Supreine.” 1 All of these are titles, 
which, in after years, were applied to Christ Jesus. His followers 
had a gospel called “ The Four Corners of the World” which re¬ 
minds us of the reason given by Irenseus, for there being four 
Gospels among the Christians. He says: 

“ It is impossible that there could be more or less than four. For there are 
four climates, and/bwr cardinal winds; but the Gospel is the pillar and founda¬ 
tion of the Church, and its breath of life. The Church, therefore, was to have 
four pillars, blowing immortality from every quarter, and giving life to 
men.” 2 

Simon also composed some works, of which but slight fragments 
remain, Christian authority having evidently destroyed them. That 
he made a lively impression on his contemporaries is indicated by 
the subsequent extension of his doctrines, under varied forms, b y 
the wonderful stories which the Christian Fathers relate of him, 
and by the strong dislike they manifested toward him. 

Eusebius, the ecclesiastical historian, says of him : 

“The malicious power of Satan, enemy to all honesty, and foe to all human 
salvation, brought forth at that time this monster Simon, a father and worker 
of all such mischiefs, as a great adversary unto the mighty and holy Apostles. 

“ Coming into the city of Rome, he was so aided by that power which prevail- 
eth in this world, that in short time he brought his purpose to such a pass, that 
his picture was there placed with others, and he honored as a god.” 3 

Justin Martyr says of him : 

“After the ascension of our Savior into heaven, the DEVIL brought forth cer¬ 
tain men which called themselves gods, who not only suffered no vexation of you 
(Romans), but attained unto honor amongst you, by name one Simon, a Samari¬ 
tan, born in the village of Gitton, who (under Claudius Caesar) b}* - the art of 
devils, through whom he dealt, wrought devilish enchantments, was esteemed 
and counted m your regal city of Rome for a god, and honored by you as a god, 
with a picture between two bridges upon the river Tibris, having this Roman 
inscription : * Simoni deo Sancto ’ (To Simon the Holy God). And in manner 
all the Samaritans, and certain also of other nations, do worship him, acknowl¬ 
edging him for their chief god.” 4 

According to accounts given by several other Christian Fathers, 
he could make his appearance wherever he pleased to be at any 
moment; could poise himself on the air ; make inanimate things 


1 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 241. 

2 Quoted in Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. 
44. The authorship of the fourth gospel, at¬ 

tributed to John, has been traced to this same 

Jrenceus. He is the first person who speaks 
of it; and adding this fact to the statement 


that “it is impossible that there could be more 
or less than four," certainly makes it appear 
very suspicious. We shall allude to this again. 

3 Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 2, ch. xiv. 

4 Quoted in Ibid. lib. 2, ch. xiii. 


* 



266 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


move without visible assistance ; produce trees from the earth sud¬ 
denly ; cause a stick to reap without hands ; change himself into 
the likeness of any other person, or even into the forms of animals; 
fling himself from high precipices unhurt, walk through the streets 
accompanied by spirits of the dead; and many other such like per¬ 
formances. 1 

Simon went to Rome, where he gave himself out to be an “ In¬ 
carnate Spirit of God. 5 ’ 2 He became a favorite with the Emperor 
Claudius, and afterwards with Nero. His Christian opponents, as 
we have seen in the cases cited above, did not deny the miracles 
attributed to him, but said they were done through the agency of 
evil spirits, which was a common opinion among the Fathers. They 
claimed that every magician had an attendant evil spirit, who came 
when summoned, obeyed his commands, and taught him ceremonies 
and forms of words, by which he was able to do supernatural 
things. In this way they were accustomed to account for all the 
miracles performed by Gentiles and heretics. 3 

Menander —who was called the “Wonder-Worker”—was an¬ 
other great performer of miracles. Eusebius, speaking of him, says 
that he was skilled in magical art, and performed devilish operations; 
and that “ as yet there be divers which can testify the same of 
him.” 4 

Dr. Conyers Middleton, speaking on this subject, says: 

“It was universally received and believed through all ages of the primitive 
church, that there was a number of magicians, necromancers, or conjurors, 
both among the Gentiles, and {ha heretical Christians, who had each their peculiar 
demon or evil spirit, for their associates, perpetually attending on their persons 
and obsequious to their commands, by whose help they could perform miracles, 
foretell future events, call up the souls of the dead, exhibit them to open view, 
and infuse into people whatever dreams or visions they saw fit, all which is 
constantly affirmed by the primitive writers and apologists, and commonly ap¬ 
plied by them to prove the immortality of the soul.” 5 

After quoting from Justin Martyr, who says that these magicians 
could convince any one “ that the souls of men exist still after 
death,” he continues by saying: 

Lactantius, speaking of certain philosophers who held that the soul perished 
with the body, says : ‘ they durst not have declared such an opinion, in the 
presence of any magician, for if they had done it, he would have confuted them 


1 See Prog. Eehg. Ideas, vol. ii. pp. 241, 
242. 

2 According to Hieronymus (a Christian 

Father, born a. d. 346), Simon Magus applied 

to himself these words : “lam the Word (or 

Logos) of God ; I am the Beautiful, I the Ad¬ 
vocate, I the Omnipotent; I am all things 


that belong to God.” (See “Son of the 
Man,” p. 67.) 

3 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 316, and 
Middleton’s Free Inquiry, p. 62. 

4 Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 3, ch. xiv. 

6 Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. 54. 




THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


267 


upon the spot, by sensible experiments; by calling up souls from the dead, and ren¬ 
dering them visible to human eyes, and making them speak and foretell future events” 1 

Tlie Christian Father Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, who was 
contemporary with Irengeus- (a. d. 177-202), went so far as to de¬ 
clare that it was evil spirits who inspired the old poets and prophets 
of Greece and Borne. lie says : 

“ The truth of this is manifestly shown; because those who are possessed by 
devils, even at this day, are sometimes exorcised by us in the name of God; and 
the seducing spirits confess themselves to be the same demons who before in¬ 
spired the Gentile poets.” 2 

Even in the second century after Christianity, foreign conjurors 
were professing to exhibit miracles among the Greeks. Lucian 
gives an account of one of these “ foreign barbarians ”—as he calls 
them 3 —and savs : 

“ I believed and was overcome in spite of my resistance, for what was I to 
do when I saw liim ■carried through the air in daylight, and walking on the 
water, 4 and passing leisurely and slowly through the fire ?” 5 

He further tells us that this “ foreign barbarian ” was able to 
raise the dead to life. 6 

Athenagoras, a Christian Father who flourished during the latter 
part of the second century, says on this subject: 

“We (Christians) do not deny that in several places, cities, and countries, 
there are some extraordinary works performed in the nanreof idols,” i. e., heathen 
gods. 7 

Miracles were not uncommon things among the Jews before 
and during the time of Christ Jesus. Casting out devils was an 
every-day occurrence, 8 and miracles frecpiently happened to confirm 
the sayings of Babbis. One cried out, when his opinion was dis¬ 
puted, “ May this -tree prove that I am right!” and forthwith the 
tree was torn up by the roots, and hurled a hundred ells off. But 


1 Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. 54. 

2 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 312, and 
Middleton's Works, vol. i. p. 10. 

3 “ The Egyptians call all men ‘ barbarians ’ 

who do not speak the same language as them¬ 

selves.” (Herodotus, book ii. ch. 158.) 

“By ‘ barbarians' the Greeks meant all 
who were not sprung from themselves—all 
foreigners.” (Henry Cary, translator of Hero¬ 
dotus.) 

The Chinese call the English, and all for¬ 
eigners from western countries, “ western bar¬ 
barians the Japanese were called by them 
the “ eastern barbarians.” (See Thornton’s 
History of China, vol. i.) 

The Jews considered all who did not be¬ 
long to their race to be heathens and barba¬ 
rians. 


The Christians consider those who are uot 
followers of Christ Jesus to be heathens and 
ba?ba?'ians. 

The Mohammedans consider all others to be 
dogs, infidels , and barbarians. 

4 “ And in the fourth watch of the night, 
Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” 
(Matt. xiv. 25.) 

6 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 236. We 
have it on the authority of Strabo that Roman 
priests walked barefoot over burning coals, 
without receiving the slightest injury. This 
was done in the presence of crowds of people. 
Pliny also relates the same story. 

6 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 236. 

7 Athenagoras, Apolog. p. 25. Quoted in 
Middleton's Works, vol. i. p. 62. 

s Geikie : Life of Christ, vol. ii. p. 610. 




268 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


his opponents declared that a tree could prove nothing. “ May 
this stream, then, witness for me!” cried Eliezar, and at once it 
flowed the opposite way. 1 

Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that King Solomon was 
expert in casting out devils who had taken possession of the body 
of mortals. This gift was also possessed by many Jews throughout 
different ages. lie (Josephus) relates that he saw one of his own 
countrymen (Eleazar) casting out devils, in the presence of a vast 
multitude. 2 

Dr. Conyers Middleton says : 

“It is remarkable that all the Christian Fathers, who lay so great a stress on 
the particular gift of casting out devils, allow the same power both to the Jew r s 
and the Gentiles, as well before as after our Saviour's coming. ” 3 

Vespasian, who was born about ten years after the time as¬ 
signed for the birth of Christ Jesus, performed wonderful miracles, 
for the good of mankind. Tacitus, the Roman historian, informs 
us that he cured a blind man in Alexandria, by means of his spit¬ 
tle, and a lame man by the mere touch of his foot. 

The words of Tacitus are as follows: 

“Vespasian passed some months at Alexandria, having resolved to defer his 
voyage to Italy till the return of summer, when the winds, blowing in a regular 
direction, afford a safe and pleasant navigation. During his residence in that 
city, a number of incidents, out of the ordinary course of nature, seemed to 
mark him as the peculiar favorite of the gods. A man of mean condition, born 
at Alexandria, had lost his sight by a defluxion on his eyes. He presented him¬ 
self before Vespasian, and, falling prostrate on the ground, implored the emperor 
to administer a cure for his blindness. He came, he said, by the admonition of 
Serapis, the god whom the superstition of the Egyptians holds in the highest 
veneration. The request was, that the emperor, with his spittle, would conde¬ 
scend to moisten the poor man’s face and the balls of his eyes. 4 Another, who 
had lost the use of his hand, inspired by the same god, begged that he would 
tread on the part allotted. ... In the presence of a prodigious multitude, 
all erect with expectation, he advanced with an air of serenity, and hazarded the 
experiment. The paralytic hand recovered its functions, and the blind man saw 
the light of the sun. 5 By living witnesses, who were actually on the spot, both 
events are confirmed at this hour, when deceit and flattery can hope for no 
reward.” 6 

The striking resemblance between the account of these mira¬ 
cles, and those attributed to Jesus in the Gospels a according to” 


1 Geikie : Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 75. 

2 Jewish Antiqiities, bk. viii. ch. ii. 

3 Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. G8. 

* “ And he cometh to Bethsaida, and they 

bring a blind man unto him, and besought him 

to touch him. And he took the blind man by 
the hand . . . and when he had spit on his 
eyes, ... he looked up and said : ‘I see 


men and trees,’ . . . and he was restored.” 
(Mark, viii. 22-25.) 

6 “ And behold there was a man which had 
his hand withered. . . . Then said he unto 
the man, ‘ Stretch forth thine hand ; ’ and he 
stretched it forth, and it was restored whole, 
like as the other.” (Matt. xii. 10-13.) 

6 Tacitus : Hist., lib.iv. ch. lxxxi. 





THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


269 


Matthew and Mark, would lead us to think that one had been 
copied from the other, but when we find that Tacitus wrote his 
history a. d. 98, 1 and that the “Matthew ” and Mark narrators’ 
works were not known until after that time, 2 the evidence certainly 
is that Tacitus was not the plagiarist, but that this charge must fall 
on the shoulders of the Christian writers, whoever they may have 
been. 

To come down to earlier times, even the religion of the Ma¬ 
hometans is a religion of miracles and wonders. Mahomet, like 
Jesus of Nazareth, did not claim to perform miracles, but the vot¬ 
aries of Mahomet are more assured than himself of his miraculous 
gifts ; and their confidence and credulity increase as they are farther 
removed from the time and place of his spiritual exploits. They 
believe or affirm that trees went forth to meet him ; that he was 
saluted by stones ; that water gushed from his fingers ; that he fed 
the hungry, cured the sick, and raised the dead ; that a beam 
groaned to him ; that a camel complained to him ; that a shoulder 
of mutton informed him of its being poisoned ; and that both ani¬ 
mate and inanimate nature were equally subject to the apostle 
of God. His dream of a nocturnal journey is seriously described 
as a real and corporeal transaction. A mysterious animal, the Borak, 
conveyed him from the temple of Mecca to that of Jerusalem ; with 
his companion Gabriel he successively ascended the seven heavens, 
and received and repaid the salutations of the patriarchs, the 
prophets, and the angels in their respective mansions. Beyond the 
seventh heaven, Mahomet alone was permitted to proceed; he 
passed the veil of unity, approached within two bow-shots of the 
throne, and felt a cold that pierced him to the heart, when his 
shoulder was touched by the hand of God. After a familiar, 
though important conversation, he descended to Jerusalem, re¬ 
mounted the Borak, returned to Mecca, and performed in the 
tenth part of a night the journey of many thousand years. His 
resistless word split asunder the orb of the moon, and the obedient 
planet stooped from her station in the sky. 3 

These and many other wonders, similar in character to the story 
of Jesus sending the demons into the swine, are related of Mahomet 
by his followers. 

It is very certain that the same circumstances which are 
claimed to have taken place with respect to the Christian religion, 
are also claimed to have taken place in the religions of Orishna, Bud- 


1 See Chambers’s Encyclo.,, art. “ Tacitus.” 2 See The Bible of To-Day, pp. 273, 278. 

3 See Gibbon’s Rome, vol. i. pp. 539-541. 




270 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


cilia, Zoroaster, Aesculapius, Bacchus, Apollonius, Simon Magus, 
&c. Histories of these persons, with miracles, relics, circumstances 
of locality, suitable to them, were as common, as well authenticated 
(if not better), and as much believed by the devotees as were those 
relating to Jesus. 

All the Christian theologians which the world has yet produced 
have not been able to procure any evidence of the miracles recorded 
in the Gospels , half so strong as can be procured in evidence of 
miracles performed by heathens and heathen gods, both before 
and after the time of Jesus ; and, as they cannot do this, let them 
give us a reason why we should reject the one and receive the other. 
And if they cannot do this, let them candidly confess that we must 
either admit them all, or reject them all, for they all stand on the 
same footing. 


In the early times of the Roman republic, in the war with the 
Latins, the gods Castor and Pollux are said to have appeared on 
white horses in the Roman army, which by their assistance gained 
a complete victory: in memory of which, the General Postliumius 
vowed and built a temple to these deities; and for a proof of the 
fact, there was shown, we find, in Cicero’s time (106 to 43 b. c.), 
the marks of the horses’ hoofs on a rock at Regillum, where they 
first appeared. 1 

Now this miracle, with those which have already been men¬ 
tioned, and many others of the same kind which could be men¬ 
tioned, has as authentic an attestation, if not more so, as any of the 
Gospel miracles. It has, for instance : The decree of a senate to 
confirm it; visible marks on the spot where it was transacted ; and 
all this supported by the best authors of antiquity, amongst whom 
Dionysius, of Halicarnassus, who says that there w T as subsisting in 
his time at Rome many evident proofs of its reality, besides a 
yearly festival, with a solemn sacrifice and procession, in memory 
of it. 2 


With all these evidences in favor of this miracle having really 
happened, it seems to us so ridiculous, that we wonder how there 
could ever have been any so simple as to believe it, yet we should 
believe that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, after he had been 
in the tomb four days, our only authority being that anonymous 
book known as the “ Gospel according to St. John,” which was not 


1 Middleton’s Letters from Borne, p. 102. 
See also, Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 16. 

2 Dionysius of Halicarnassus, one qf the most 
accurate historians of antiquity, says : In the 
war with the Latins, Castor and Pollux ap¬ 
peared visibly on white horses, and fought 


on the side of the Bomans, who by their as¬ 
sistance gained a complete victory. As a per¬ 
petual memorial of it, a temple was erected and 
a yearly festival instituted in honor of these 
deities.” (Prog. Belig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 323, and 
Middleton’s Letters f rom Borne, p. 103.) 




THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


271 


r 

known until after a. d. 173. Albert Barnes, in his “Lectures on 
the Evidences of Christianity,” speaking of the authenticity of the 
Gospel miracles, makes the following damaging confession: 

“ An important question is, whether there is any stronger evidence in favor of 
miracles, than there is in favor of witchcraft, or sorcery, or the re-appearance of 
the dead, of ghosts, of apparitions ? Is not the evidence in favor of these as 
strong as any that can be adduced in favor of miracles ? Have not these things 
been matters of universal belief ? In what respect is the evidence in favor of 
the miracles of the Bible stronger than that which can be adduced in favor of 
witchcraft and sorcery ? Does it differ in nature and degrees; and if it differs, 
is it not in favor of witchcraft and sorcery ? Has not the evidence in favor of 
the latter been derived from as competent and reliable witnesses ? Has it not 
been brought to us from those who saw the facts alleged ? Has it not been sub¬ 
jected to a close scrutiny in the courts of justice, to cross-examination, to 
tortures ? Has it not convinced those of highest legal attainments; those accus¬ 
tomed to sift testimony; those who understood the true principles of evidence? 
Has not the evidence in favor of witchcraft and sorcery had, what the evidence 
in favor of miracles has not had, the advantage of strict judicial investigation? 
and been subjected to trial, where evidence should be, before courts of law? 
Have not the most eminent judges in the most civilized and enlightened courts 
of Europe and America admitted the force of such evidence, and on the ground 
of it committed great numbers of innocent persons to thj gallows and to the 
stake? 1 confess that of all the questions ever asked on the subject of miracles, this is 
the most perplexing and the most difficult to answer. It is rather to be wondered at 
that it has not been pressed with more zeal by those who deny the reality of 
miracles, and that they have placed their objections so extensively on other 
grounds.” 

It was a common adage among tlie Greeks, “ Miracles for 
fools. ” and the same proverb obtained among the shrewder Bo- 
mans, in the saying: “ The common people like to he deceived — 

deceived let them heP 

St. Chrysostom declares that “ miracles are proper only to excite 
sluggish and vulgar minds, men of sense have no occasion for them y” 
and that “they frequently carry some untoward suspicion along 
with themand Saint Chrysostom, Jerome, Euthemius, and The- 
ophylast, prove by several instances, that real miracles had been 
performed by those who were not Catholic, but heretic, Christians. 1 

Celsus (an Epicurean philosopher, towards the close of the 
second century), the first writer who entered the lists against the 
claims of the Christians, in speaking of the miracles which were 
claimed to have been performed by Jesus, says : 

“ His miracles, granted to be true , were nothing more than the common works 
of those enchanters , who, for a few oboli, will perform greater deeds in the midst 
of the Forum, calling up the souls of heroes, exhibiting sumptuous banquets, and 
tables covered with food, which have no reality. Such things do not prove these 
jugglers to be sons of God; nor do Christ’s miracles.” -i 

1 See Prefatory Discourse to vol. iii. Mid- 2 Quoted by J. P. Lundy : Monumental 

dlcton’s Works, p. 54. Christianity, p. 70. 




272 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Celsus, in common with most of the Grecians, looked upon 
Christianity as a blind faith, that shunned the light of reason. In 
speaking of the Christians, he says : 

“ They are forever repeating: ‘Do not examine. Only believe, and thy faith 
will make tliee blessed. Wisdom is a bad thing in life; foolishness is to be pre¬ 
ferred.’ ’ n 

He jeers at the fact that ignorant men were allowed to preach, 
and says that “ weavers, tailors, fullers, and the most illiterate and 
rustic fellows,” set up to teach strange paradoxes. “ They openly 
declared that none but the ignorant (were) fit disciples for the God 
they worshiped,” and that one of their rules was, a let no man that 
is learned come among us.’” 

The miracles claimed to have been performed by the Christians, 
he attributed to magic* and considered—as we have seen above— 
their miracle performers to be on the same level with all Gentile 
magicians. lie says that the “ wonder-workers ” among the Chris¬ 
tians “ rambled about to play tricks at fairs and markets,” that they 
never appeared in the circles of the wiser and better sort, but al¬ 
ways took care to intrude themselves among the ignorant and un¬ 
cultured . 1 2 3 4 

“ The magicians in Egypt (says he), cast out evil spirits, cure diseases by 
a breath, call up the spirits of the dead, make inanimate things move as if they 
were alive, and so influence some uncultured men, that they produce in them 
whatever sights and sohnds they please. But because they do such things shall 
we consider them the sons of God? Or shall we call such things the tricks of 
pitiable and wicked men ?” 5 

He believed that Jesus was like all these other wonder-workers, 
that is, simply a necromancer , and that he learned his magical arts 
in Egypt . 6 All philosophers, during the time of the Early Fathers, 
answered the claims that Jesus performed miracles, in the same 
manner. “ They even ventured to call him a magician and a de¬ 
ceiver of the people,” says Justin Martyr , 7 and St. Augustine as¬ 
serted that it was generally believed that Jesus had been initiated 
in magical art in Egypt, and that he had written books concerning 
magic, one of which was called a Magia Jesu Christie In the 
Clementine Recognitions, the charge is brought against Jesus that 
he did not perform his miracles as a Jewish prophet, but as a ma¬ 
gician, an initiate of the heathen temples . 9 

1 Quoted in Prog. Kelig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. tions produced by Alexander's conquests. 

363. 4 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. ii. p. 364. 

2 Quoted in Ibid. 6 Ibid. 

3 A knowledge of magic had spread from 6 See Monumental Christianity, p. 70. 

Central Asia into Syria, by means of the return 7 Dial, p. 69. Quoted in Isis Unveiled, 

of the Jews from Babylon, and had afterwards vol. ii. p. 148. 

extended widely, through the mixing of na- 8 Ibid. » Ibid. 




THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


273 


The casting out of devils was the most frequent and among the 
most striking and the oftenest appealed to of the miracles of Jesus; 
yet, in the conversation between himself and the Pharisees (Matt, 
xii. 24-27), he speaks of it as one that was constantly and habitually 
performed by their own exorcists / and, so far from insinuating any 
difference between the two cases, expressly puts them on a level. 

One of the best proofs, and most unquestionable, that Jesus was 
accused of being a magician , or that some of the early Christians 
believed him to have been such, may be found in the representations 
of him performing miracles. On a sarcophagus to be found in the 
Museo Gregoriano , which is paneled with bas-reliefs, is to be seen 
a representation of Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave. He is 
represented as a young man, beardless, and equipped with a wancl 
in the received guise of a necromancer , whilst the corpse of Laz¬ 
arus is swathed in bandages exactly as an Egyptian mummy. 1 On 
other Christian monuments representing the miracles of Jesus, lie 
is pictured in the same manner. For instance, when he is repre¬ 
sented as turning the water into wine, and multiplying the bread in 

the wilderness, he is a necromancer with a wand in his hand. 2 

/ 

Horus , the Egyptian Saviour, is represented on the ancient 
monuments of Egypt, with a wand in his hand raising the dead 
to life , “just as we see Christ doing the same thing,” says J. P. 
Lundy, “ in the same way, to Lazarus, in our Christian monu¬ 
ments.” 3 

Dr. Conyers Middleton, speaking of the primitive Christians, 
says : 

“ In the performance of their miracles, they were always charged with fraud 
and imposture, by their adversaries. Lucian (who flourished during the second 
century), tells us that whenever any crafty juggler, expert in his trade, and who 
knew how to make a right use of things, went over to the Christians, he was 
sure to grow rich immediately, by making a prey of their simplicity. And 
Celsus represents all the Christian wonder-workers as mere vagabonds and com¬ 
mon cheats, who rambled about to play their tricks at fairs and markets; not in 
the circles of the wiser and the better sort, for among such they never ventured to 
appear, but wherever they observed a set of raw young fellows, slaves or fools, 
there they took care to intrude themselves, and to display all their arts .” 4 

The same charge was constantly urged against them by Julian, 
Porphyry and others. Similar sentiments were entertained by Poly¬ 
bius, the Pagan philosopher, who considered all miracles as fables, 
invented to preserve in the unlearned a due sense of respect for the 
deity. 5 


1 See King’s Gnostics, p. 143. Monumental Hi st. of Our Lord, vol. i. p. 16. 

Christianity, pp. 100 and 403, and Jameson’s 3 Monumental Christianity, pp. 403-405. 

Hist, of Our Lord in Art, vol. i. p. 16. 4 Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. 19. 

a See Monumental Christianity, p. 402, and 9 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 59. 




274 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Edward Gibbon, speaking of the miracles of the Christians, 
writes in his familiar style as follows: 

“ How shall we excuse the supine inattention of the Pagan and philosophic 
world, to those evidences which were represented by the hand of Omnipotence, 
not to their reason, but to their senses? During the age of Christ, of his apostles, 
and of their first disciples, the doctrine which they preached was confirmed by 
innumerable prodigies. The lame walked, the blind saw, the sick were healed, 
the dead were raised, demons were expelled, and the laws of nature were fre¬ 
quently suspended for the benefit of the church. But the sages of Greece and 
Home turned aside from the awful spectacle, and, pursuing the ordinary occupa¬ 
tions of life and study, appeared unconscious of any alterations in the moral or 
physical government of the world .” 1 

The learned Dr. Middleton, whom we have quoted on a preced¬ 
ing page, after a searching inquiry into the miraculous powers of 
the Christians, says: 

“ From these short hints and characters of the primitive wonder-workers, as 
given both by friends and enemies, we may fairly conclude, that the celebrated 
gifts of these ages were generally engrossed and exercised by the primitive 
Christians, chiefly of the laity, who used to travel about from city to city, to assist 
the ordinary pastors of the church, and preachers of the Gospel, in the conversion 
of Pagans, by the extraordinary gifts with which they were supposed to be 
indued by the spirit of God, and the miraculous works which they pretended 
to perform. . . . 

“ We have just reason to suspect that there was some original fraud in the 
case; and that the strolling wonder-workers, by a dexterity of jugglery which 
art, not heaven, had taught them, imposed upon the credulity of the pious Fathers, 
whose strong prejudices and ardent zeal for the interest of Christianity would 
dispose them to embrace, without examination, whatever seemed to promote so 
good a cause. That this was really the case in some instances, is certain and 
notorious, and that it was so in all, will appear still more probable, when we 
have considered the particular characters of the several Fathers, on whose testi¬ 
mony the credit of these wonderful narratives depends. ” 2 

Again he says: 

“The pretended miracles of the primitive church were all mere fictions, 
which the pious and zealous Fathers, partly from a weak credulity, and partly 
from reasons of policy, believing some perhaps to be true, and knowing all of 
them to be useful, were induced to espouse and propagate, for the support of a 
righteous cause .” 3 

Origen, a Christian Father of the third century, uses the follow¬ 
ing: words in his answer to Celsus : 

“ A vast number of persons who have left those horrid debaucheries in which 
they formerly wallowed, and have professed to embrace the Christian religion, 


i Gibbon’s Rome, vol. i. p. 588. An emi¬ 
nent heathen challenged his Christian friend 
Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, a champion 
of the Gospel, to show him but one person 
who had been raised from the dead, on the 
condition of turning Christian himself upon 
it. The Christian bishop was unable to give 


him that satisfaction. (See Gibbon’s Rome, 
vol. i. p. 541, and Middleton’s Works, vol. i. 
p. GO.) 

2 Middleton’s Works, vol. i. pp. 20, 21. 

3 Ibid. p. 62. The Christian Fathers are 
noted for their frauds. Their writings are full 
of falsehoods and deceit. 



TIIE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


275 


shall receive a bright and massive crown when this frail and short life is ended, 
though they don't stand to examine the grounds on which their faith is built, nor 
defer their conversion till they have a fair opportunity and capacity to apply 
themselves to rational and learned studies. And since our adversaries are con¬ 
tinually making such a stir about our taking things on trust , I answer, that we, 
who see plainly and have found the vast advantage that the common people do 
manifestly and frequently reap thereby (who make up by far the greater num¬ 
ber), I say, we (the Christian clergy), who are so well advised of these things, 
do professedly teach men to believe without examination .” 1 2 

Origen flourished and wrote a. d. 225-235, which shows that at 
that early day there was no rational evidence for Christianity, but 
it was professedly taught, and men were supposed to believe “ these 
things'' (i. e. the Christian legends) without severe examination. 

The primitive Christians were perpetually reproached for their 
gross credulity, by all their enemies. Celsus, as we have already 
seen, declares thac they cared neither to receive nor give any reason 
for their faith, and that it was a usual saying with them: “ Do not 
examine, but believe only, and thy faith will save theeand Julian 
affirms that, “ the sum of all their wisdom was comprised in the 
single precept, ‘ believe .’ ” 

Arnobius, speaking of this, says : 

“ The Gentiles make it their constant business to laugh at our faith, and to 
lash our credulity with their facetious jokes.” 

The Christian Fathers defended themselves against these 
charges by declaring that they did nothing more than the heathens 
themselves had always done; and reminds them that they too had 
found the same method useful with the uneducated or common 
people, who were not at leisure to examine things, and whom they 
taught therefore, to believe without reason. 4 

This “ believing without reason ” is illustrated in the following 
words of Tertullian, a Christian Father of the second century, who 
reasons on the evidence of Christianity as follows : 

“I find no other means to prove myself to be impudent with success, and 
happily a fool, than by my contempt of shame; as, for instance—I maintain 
that the son of God was born: why am I not ashamed of maintaining such a 
thing? Why! but because it is a shameful thing. I maintain that the son of 
God died: well, that is wholly credible because it is monstrously absurd. I 
maintain that after having been buried, he rose again: and that I take to be ab¬ 
solutely true, because it was manifestly impossible .” 3 

According to the very books which record the miracles of Jesus, 
he never claimed to perform such deeds, and Paul declares that the 
great reason why Israel did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah was 


1 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 366. 3 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis and in Mid- 

2 See Middleton’s Works, pp. 62, 63, 64. dleton’s Works. 




276 


BIBLE MYTHS. 

that a the Jews required a sign.” 1 lie meant: u Signs and wonders 
are the only proofs they will admit that any one is sent by God and 
is preaching the truth. If they cannot have this palpable, external 
proof, they withhold their faith.” 

A writer of the second century (John, in cli. iv. 18) makes Jesus 
aim at his fellow-countrymen and contemporaries, the reproach : 
“ Unless you see signs and wonders, you do not believe.” In con¬ 
nection with Paul’s declaration, given above, these words might be 
paraphrased: “The reason why the Jews never believed in Jesus 
was that they never saw him do signs and wonders.” 

Listen to the reply he (Jesus) made wdien told that if he wanted 
people to believe in him he must first prove his claim by a miracle: 
“ A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign , and no sign 
shall be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonas.” 2 Of 
course, this answer did not in the least degree satisfy the question¬ 
ers ; so they presently came to him again with a more direct re¬ 
quest : “ If the kingdom of God is, as you say, close at hand, show 
us at least some one of the signs in heaven which are to precede the 
Messianic age.” What could appear more reasonable than such a 
request? Every one knew that the end of the present age was to 
be heralded by fearful signs in heaven. The light of the sun was 
to be put out, the moon turned to blood, the stars robbed of their 
brightness, and many other fearful signs were to be shown ! 3 If any 
one of these could be produced, they would be content; but if not, 
they must decline to surrender themselves to an idle joy which 
must end in a bitter disappointment; and surely Jesus himself 
could hardly expect them to believe in him on his bare word. 

Historians have recorded miracles said to have been performed 
by other persons, but not a word is said by them about the miracles 
claimed to have been performed by Jesus. 

Justus of Tiberias, who was born about five years after the time 
assigned for the crucifixion of Jesus, wrote a Jewish History. 
How, if the miracles attributed to Christ Jesus, and his death and 
resurrection, had taken place in the manner described by the Gos¬ 
pel narrators, he could not have failed to allude to them. But 
Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, tells us that it contained “ no 
mention of the coming of Christ , nor of the events concerning him , 
nor of the prodigies he wrought .” As Theodore Parker has re¬ 
marked : “ The miracle is of a most fluctuating character. The 
miracle-worker of to-day is a matter-of-fact juggler to-morrow. 


1 I. Corinthians, i. 22, 23. 

2 Matt. xii. 29. 

3 See, for example, Joel, ii. 10, 31; iii. 15 ; 


Matt. xxiv. 29, 30 ; Acts, ii. 19, 20 ; Revela¬ 
tions, vi. 12, 13 ; xvi. 18, et eeq. 




THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST JESUS. 


277 

Science each year adds new wonders to our store. The master of 
a locomotive steam-engine would have been thought greater than 
Jupiter Tonans, or the Eloliim, thirty centuries ago.” 

In the words of Dr. Oort: “ Our increased knowledge of nature 
has gradually undermined the belief in the possiblity of miracles, 
and the time is not far distant when in the mind of every man, of 
any culture, all accounts of miracles will be banished together to 
their proper region —that of legend.” 

What had been said to have been done in India was said by the 
“ half Jew” 1 writers of the Gospels to have been done in Palestine. 
The change of names and places, with the mixing up of various 
sketches of Egyptkm , Phenician , Grech and Roman mythology, 
was all that was necessary. They had an abundance of material, 
and with it they built. A long-continued habit of imposing upon 
others would in time subdue the minds of the impostors themselves, 
and cause them to become at length the dupes of their own decep¬ 
tion. 


1 The writers of the Gospels were “I know not what sort of half Jews, not even agreeing 
with themselves.” (Bishop Faustus.) 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 


CHRIST CRISHNA AND CHRIST JESUS COMPARED. 


Believing and affirming, that the mythological portion of the 
history of Jesus of Nazareth, contained in the books forming the 
Canon of the New Testament, is nothing more or less than a copy 
of the mythological histories of the Hindoo Saviour Crishna , and 
the Buddhist Saviour Buddha / with a mixture of mythology bor¬ 
rowed from the Persians and other nations, we shall in this and the 
chapter following, compare the histories of these Christs , side by 
side with that of Christ Jesus, the Christian Saviour. 

In comparing the history of Crishna with that of Jesus, we have 
the following remarkable parallels : 


1. “ Crishna was born of a chaste 
virgin, called Devaki, who was selected 
by the Lord for this purpose on ac¬ 
count of her purity.” 2 

2. A chorus of Devatas celebrated 
with song the praise of Devaki, ex¬ 
claiming: “In the delivery of this 
favored woman all nature shall have 
cause to exult.” 4 

3. The birth of Crishna was an¬ 
nounced in the heavens by his star.* 


1. Jesus was born of a chaste virgin, 
called Mary, who was selected by the 
Lord for this purpose, on account of 
her purity. 3 

2. The angel of the Lord saluted 
Mary, and said: “Hail Mary! the 
Lord is with you, you are blessed above 
all women, . . . for thou hast found 
favor with the Lord.” 5 

3. The birth of Jesus was an- 
nounced in the heavens by his star.' 1 




1 It is also very evident that the history of 
Crishna—or that part of it at least which has a 
religious aspect— is taken from that of Buddha. 
Crishna, in the ancient epic poems, is simply a 
great hero, and it is not until about the fourth 
century b. c., that he is deified and declared to 
be an incarnation of Vishnu, or Vishnu him¬ 
self in human form. (See Monier Williams’ 
Hinduism, pp. 102, 103.) 

“ If it be urged that the attribution to 
Crishna of qualities or powers belonging to the 
other deities is a mere device by which his de¬ 
votees sought to supersede the more ancient 
gods, the answer must be that nothing is done in 
his case which has not been done in the case of 
almost every other member of the great company 
of the gods , and that the systemat ic adoption 


of this method is itself conclusive proof of the 
looseness and flexibility of the materials of 
which the cumbrous mythology of the Hindu 
epic poems is composed.” (Cox : Aryan My¬ 
thology, vol. ii. p. 130.) These words apply 
very forcibly to the history of Christ Jesus. 
He being attributed with qualities and powers 
belonging to the deities of the heathen is a 
mere device by which his devotees sought to 
supersede the more ancient gods. 

2 See ch. xii. 

3 See The Gospel of Mary, Apoc., ch. vii. 

4 Hist. Ilindostan, vol. ii. p. 329. 

6 Mary, Apoc., vii. Luke, i. 28-30. 

8 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. pp. 317 and 330. 

7 Matt. ii. 2. 


[278] 



CRISIINA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


279 


4. On the morn of Crishna’s birth, 
“ the quarters of the horizon were ir¬ 
radiate with joy, as if moonlight was 
diffused over the whole earth;” “ the 
spirits and nymphs of heaven danced 
and sang,” and ‘'the clouds emitted 
low pleasing sounds.” 1 

5. Crishna, though royally descend¬ 
ed, was actually born in a state the 
most abject and humiliating, having 
been brought into the world in a cave. 3 

6. ‘ ‘ The moment Crishna was born, 
the whole cave was splendidly illumi¬ 
nated, and the countenances of his 
father and his mother emitted rays of 
glory.” 5 

7. “Soon after Crishna’s mother 
was delivered of him, and while she 
was weeping over him and lamenting 
lus unhappy destiny, the compassionate 
infant assumed the power of speech, 
and soothed and comforted his afflicted 
parent,” 7 

8. The divine child—Crishna—was 
recognized, and adored by cowherds, 
who prostrated themselves before the 
heaven-born child. 9 

9. Crishna was received with divine 
honors, and presented with gifts of 
sandal-wood and perfumes. 11 

10. “ Soon after the birth of Crish¬ 
na, the holy Indian prophet Nared, 
hearing of the fame of the infant 
Crishna, pays him a visit at Gokul, ex¬ 
amines the stars, and declares him to 
be of celestial descent.” 13 

11. Crishna was born at a time when 
Nanda—his foster-father—was away 
from home, having come to the city to 
pay his tax or yearly tribute, to the 
king. 15 


4. When Jesus was born, the angels 
of heaven sang with joy, and from the 
clouds there came pleasing sounds. 2 


5. “ The birth of Jesus, the King 
of Israel, took place under circumstan¬ 
ces of extreme indigence; and the place 
of his nativity, according to the united 
voice of the ancients, and of oriental 
travelers, was in a cave .” 4 

6. The moment Jesus was born, 
“there was a great light in the cave, 
so that the eyes of Joseph and the mid¬ 
wife could not bear it. 6 ” 

7. “ Jesus spake even when he was 
in his cradle, and said to his mother: 
‘Mary, I am Jesus, the Son of God, 
that Word which thou didst bring forth 
according to the declaration of the 
Angel Gabriel unto thee, and my Father 
hath sent me for the salvation of the 
world.’ ” 8 

8. The divine child—Jesus—was 
recognized, and adored by shepherds, 
who prostrated themselves before the 
heaven-born child. 10 

9. Jesus was received with divine 
honors, and presented with gifts of 
frankincense and myrrh. 12 

10. “ Now when Jesus was born in 
Bethlehem of Judea, behold, there came 
wise men from the East, saying : 
Where is he that is born King of the 
Jews, for we have seen his star in the 
East and have come to worship him.” 14 

11. Jesus was born at a time when 
Joseph—his foster-father—was away 
from home, having come to the city to 
pay his tax or tribute to the governor. 16 


1 Vishnu Purana, p. 502. 

2 Luke, ii. 13. 

3 See ch. xvi. 

4 Hist. Hindostan, voL ii. p. 311. See also, 

chap. xvi. 

6 See ch. xvi. 

6 Protevangelion, Apoc., chs. xii. and xiii. 

7 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. 311. 

9 Infancy, Apoc., ch. i. 2, 3. 


9 See ch. xv. 

10 Luke, ii. 8-10. 

11 See Oriental Religions, p. 500, and Inman's 
Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 353. 

12 Matt. ii. 2. 

13 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 317. 

' 14 Matt., ii. 1, 2. 

16 Vishnu Purana, bk. v. ch. iii. 

18 Luke, ii. 1-17. 



280 


BIBLE MYTnS. 


12. Crishna, although born in a state 
the most abject and humiliating, was 
of royal descent. 1 

13. Crishna’s father was warned by 
■a “heavenly voice,” to “fly with the 
child to Gacool, across the river Jum¬ 
na,” as the reigning monarch sought 
his life. 3 

14. The ruler of the country in 
which Crishna was born, having been 
informed of the birth of the divine 
child, sought to destroy him. For this 
purpose, he ordered “the massacre in 
all his states, of all the children of the 
male sex, born during the night of the 
birth of Crishna.” 5 

15. * ‘ Mathura (pronounced Mattra), 
was the city in which Crishna was 
born, where his most extraordinary 
miracles were performed, and which 
continues at this day the place where 
his name and Avatar are held in the 
most sacred veneration of any province 
in Hindostan.” 7 

16. Crishna was preceded by Rama , 
■who was born a short time before him, 
and whose life was sought by Kansa, 
the ruling monarch, at the time he at¬ 
tempted to destroy the infant Crishna. 9 

17. Crishna, being brought up among 
shepherds, wanted the advantage of a 
preceptor to teach him the sciences. 
Afterwards, when he went to Mathura, 
a tutor, profoundly learned, was ob¬ 
tained for him ; but, in a very short 
time, he became such a scholar as 
utterly to astonish and perplex his 
master with a variety of the most in¬ 
tricate questions in Sanscrit science. 11 


12. Jesus, although born in a state 
the most abject and humiliating, was 
of royal descent. 2 

13. Jesus’ father was warned “in 
a dream” to “take the young child 
and his mother, and flee into Egypt,” 
as the reigning monarch sought his 
life. 4 

14. The ruler of the country in 
which Jesus was born, having been 
informed of the birth of the divine 
child, sought to destroy him. For this 
purpose, he ordered “all the children 
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the 
coasts thereof,” to be slain. 6 

15. Matarea, near Hermopolis, in 
Egypt, is said to have been the place 
where Jesus resided during his absence 
from the land of Judea. At this place 
he is reported to have wrought many 
miracles. 8 


16. Jesus was preceded by John 
the “divine herald,” who was born a 
short time before him, and whose life 
w^as sought by Herod, the ruling mon¬ 
arch, at the time he attempted to 
destroy the infant Jesus. 10 

17. Jesus w r as sent to Zaccheus the 
schoolmaster, who wrote out an alpha¬ 
bet for him, and bade him say Alepli. 
“Then the Lord Jesus said to him, 
Tell me first the meaning of the letter 
Alepli, and then I will pronounce Beth, 
and w 7 hen the master threatened to 
whip him, the Lord Jesus explained 
to him the meaning of the letters Alepli 
and Beth; also which where the 
straight figures of the letters, which 
the oblique, and w T hat letters had 


1 Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 259. Hist. 
Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 310. 

2 See the Genealogies in Matt, and Luke. 

3 See ch. xviii. 

4 Matt. ii. 13. 

6 See ch. xviii. 

6 Matt. ii. 16. 

7 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 317. Asiatic 
Researches, vol. i. p. 259. 

8 Introduc. to Infancy, Apoc. Higgins : An- 

acalypsis, vol. i. p. 130. Savary : Travels in 


Egypt, vol. i. p. 126, in Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. 
p. 318. 

9 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 316. 

10 “ Elizabeth, hearing that her son John 
was about to be searched for (by Herod), took 
him and went up into the mountains, and looked 
around for a place to hide him. . . . But 
Herod made search after John, and sent servants 
to Zacharias,” &c. (Protevangelion, Apoc., 
ch. xvi.) 

11 Hist. Hindostan. vol. ii. p. 321. 




CRISHNA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


281 


18. “At a certain time, Crishna, 
taking a walk with the other cow¬ 
herds, they chose him their King , and 
every one had his place assigned him 
under the new King.” 1 2 

19. Some of Crishna’s play-fellows 
were stung by a serpent, and he, filled 
with compassion at their untimely fate, 
“and casting upon them an eye of 
divine mercy, they immediately rose,” 
and were restored. 4 

20. Crishna’s companions, with 
some calves, w r ere stolen, and hid in a 
cave, whereupon Crishna, “by his 
power, created other calves and boys, 
in all things, perfect resemblances of 
the others.” 6 

21. “ One of the first miracles per¬ 
formed by Crishna, when mature, was 
the curing of a leper.” 8 

22. A poor cripple, or lame woman, 
came, with “a vessel filled with spices, 
sw T eet-scented oils, sandal-wood,satfron, 
civet, and other perfumes, and made a 
certain sign on his (Crishna’s) forehead, 
casting the rest upon his head .” 10 

23. Crishna was crucified, and he 
is represented with arms extended, 
hanging on a cross. 12 

24. xit the time of the death of 
Crishna, there came calamities and bad 
omens of every kind. A black circle 
surrounded the moon, and the sun was 
darkened at noon-day ; the sky rained 
fire and ashes ; flames burned dusky 
and livid; demons committed depreda- 


double figures; which had points, and 
wdiicli had none ; why one letter went 
before another; and man}'- other things 
he began to tell him and explain, of 
which the master himself had never 
heard, nor read in any book.” 1 

18. “In the month Adar, Jesus 

gathered together the boys, and ranked 
them as though he had been a King. 
. . . And if any one happened to 

pass by, they took him by force, and 
said, Come hither, and worship the 
King.” 3 

19. When Jesus was at play, a boy 
was stung by a serpent, “and he (Jesus) 
touched the boy with his hand,” and 
he was restored to his former health. 5 

• 

20. Jesus’ companions, who had hid 
themselves in a furnace, -were turned in¬ 
to kids, whereupon Jesus said: “ Come 
hither, O boys, that we may go and play; 
and immediately the kids were changed 
into the shape of boys.” 7 

21. One of the first miracles per¬ 
formed by Jesus, when mature, -was 
the curing of a leper. 9 

22. “Now, when Jesus was in 
Bethany, in the house of Simon the 
leper, there came unto him a woman 
having an alabaster box of very preci¬ 
ous ointment, and poured it on his head, 
as he sat at meat.” 11 

23. Jesus was crucified, and he is 
represented with arms extended, hang¬ 
ing on a cross. 

24. At the time of the death of 
Jesus, there came calamities of many 
kinds. The veil of the temple was 
rent in twain from the top to the bot¬ 
tom, the sun was darkened from the 
sixth to the ninth hour, and the graves 
were opened, and many bodies of the 


1 Infancy, Apoc., ch. xx. 1-8. 

2 Hist. Ilindostan, vol. ii. p. 321. 

3 Infancy, Apoc., ch. xviii. 1-3. 

4 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 343. 

6 Infancy, Apoc., ch. xviii. 

6 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 340. Aryan 

Mytho., vol. ii. p. 136. 


7 Infancy, Apoc., ch. xvii. 

8 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 319, and ch. 
xxvii. this work. 

9 Matthew, viii. 2. 

10 Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 320. 

11 Matt. xxvi. 6, 7. 

12 See ch. xx. 



282 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


tions on earth ; at sunrise and sunset, 
thousands of figures were seen skir¬ 
mishing in the air; spirits were to be 
seen on all sides. 1 

25. Crishna was pierced with an 
arrow. 3 

26. Crishna said to the hunter who 
shot him: “Go, hunter, through my 
favor, to heaven, the abode of the 
gods.” 5 

27. Crishna descended into hell. 7 

28. Crishna, after being put to 
death, rose again from the dead. 9 

29. Crishna ascended bodily into 
heaven, and many persons witnessed 
his ascent. 11 

80. Crishna is to come again on 
earth in the latter days. He will appear 
among mortals as an armed warrior, 
riding a white horse. At his approach 
the sun and moon will be darkened, 
the earth will tremble, and the stars 
fall from the firmament. 13 

31. Crishna is to be judge of the 
dead at the last day. 15 

32. Crishna is the creator of all 
things visible and invisible; “all this 
universe came into being through him, 
the eternal maker.” 17 

33. Crishna is Alpha and Omega, 
“the beginning, the middle, and the 
end of all things.” 19 

34. Crishna, when on earth, was in 
constant strife against the evil spirit. 21 
He surmounts extraordinary dangers, 
strews his way with miracles, raising 
the dead, healing the sick, restoring the 
maimed, the deaf and the blind, every- 


1 Frog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 71. 

3 Matt. xxii. Luke, xxviii. 

3 See ck. xx. 

4 John, xix. 34. 

5 See Vishnu Purana, p. G12. 

6 Luke, xxiii. 43. 

7 Sec eh. xxii. 

8 See Ibid. 

9 See eh. xxiii. 

10 Matt, xxviii. 

11 See eh. xxiii. 

73 See Acts, i. 9-11. 

13 See eh, xxiv. 

14 See passages quoted in eh. xxiv. 

15 See Oriental Religions, p. 504. 

18 Matt. xxiv. 31. Rom. xiv. 10. 

11 See eh. xxvi. 


saints which slept arose and came out 
of their graves. 2 

25. Jesus was pierced with a spear. 

26. Jesus said to one of the male¬ 
factors who was crucified with him : 
“ Verily I say unto thee, this day shalt 
thou be with me in paradise.” 6 

27. Jesus descended into hell. 8 

28. Jesus, after being put to death, 
rose again from the dead. 10 

29. Jesus ascended bodily into 
heaven, and many persons witnessed 
his ascent. 12 

80. Jesus is to come again on earth 
in the latter days. He will appear 
among mortals as an armed warrior, 
riding a white horse. At his approach, 
the sun and moon will be darkened, 
the earth will tremble, and the stars 
fall from the firmament. 14 

81. Jesus is to be judge of the dead 
at the last day. 16 

32. Jesus is the creator of all things 
visible and invisible; “all this universe 
came into being through him, the 
eternal maker.” 18 

33. Jesus is Alpha and Omega, the 
beginning, the middle, and the end of 
all things. 20 

34. Jesus, when on earth, was in 
constant strife against the evil spirit. 22 
He surmounts extraordinary dangers, 
strews his way with miracles, raising 
the dead, healing the sick, restoring 
the maimed, the deaf and the blind, 


18 John, i. 3. I. Cor. viii. 6. Epk. iii. 9. 

19 See Geeta, lee. x. p. 85. 

30 Rev. i. 8, 11; xxii. 13 ; xxi. G. 

31 He is described as a superhuman organ 
of light, to whom the superhuman organ of 
darkness, the evil serpent, was opposed. He 
is represented “ bruising the head of the ser¬ 
pent,” and standing upon him. (See illustra¬ 
tions in vol. i. Asiatic Researches; vol. ii. 
Higgins’ Anacalypsis ; Calmet’s Fragments, 
and other works illustrating Hindoo Mythology.) 

33 Jesus, “ the Sun of Righteousness,” is 
also described as a superhuman organ of light, 
opposed by Satan, “ the old serpent.” He is 
claimed to have been the seed of the woman 
who should “ bruise the head of the serpent.” 
(Genesis, iii. 15.) 



CRISHNA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


283 


where supporting the weak against the 
strong, the oppressed against the pow¬ 
erful. The people crowded his way, 
and adored him as a God . 1 

35. Crishna had a beloved disciple 
—Arjuna J 

36. Crishna was transfigured before 
his disciple Arjuna. “All in an instant, 
with a thousand suns, blazing with 
dazzling luster, so beheld he the glories 
of the universe collected in the one 
person of the God of Gods.’' 5 

Arjuna bows his lieacLat this vision, 
and folding his hands in reverence, 
says : 

“ Now that I see thee ns tliou really 
art, I thrill with terror ! Mercy ! Lord 
of Lords, once more display to me thy 
human form, thou habitation of the 
universe.” 6 

37. Crishna was “the meekest and 
best tempered of beings.” “He preach¬ 
ed very nobly indeed, and sublimely.” 
“He was pure and chaste in reality,” 8 
and, as a lesson of humility, “ he even 
condescended to wash the feet of the 
Brahmins.” 9 

38. “Crishna is the very Supreme 
Brahma, though it be a mystery how 
the Supreme should assume the form 
of a man.” 11 

39. Crishna is the second person in 
the Hindoo Trinity. 13 


everywhere supporting the weak against 
the strong, the oppressed against the 
powerful. The people crowded his 
way and adored him as a God.' 2 * 

35. Jesus had a beloved disciple 
— John . 4 

36. And after six days, Jesus taketh 
Peter, James, and John his brother, and 
bringeth them up into a high mountain 
apart, and was transfigured before 
them. And his face did shine as the 
sun, and his raiment was white as the 
light. . . While he yet spake, 

behold, a bright cloud overshadowed 
them, and behold, a voice out of the 
cloud, which said: &c.” “And when 
the disciples heard it, they fell on their 
faces, and were sore afraid.” 7 

37. Jesus was the meekest and best 
tempered of beings. He preached very 
nobly indeed, and sublimely. He was 
pure and chaste, and he even conde¬ 
scended to wash the feet of his disciples, 
towhom he taught a lesson of humility. 10 

38. Jesus is the very Supreme Je¬ 
hovah, though it be a mystery how the 
Supreme should assume the form of a 
man, for “Great is the mystery of 
Godliness.” 1 ' 2 

39. Jesus is the second person in 
the Christian Trinity. 14 


1 See ch. xxvii. 

2 According to the New Testament. 

a See Bhagavat Geeta. 

4 John, xiii. 23. 

5 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 215. 

0 Ibid. p. 216. 7 Matt. XYii. 1-6. 

8 “ He was pure and chaste in reality'’' al¬ 

though represented as sporting amorously, 
when a youth, with cowherdesses. According 
to the pure Vaishnava faith, however, Crishna’s 
love for the Gopis, and especially for his favorite 
KSdha, is to be explained allegorically, as 
symbolizing the longing of the human soul for 
the Supreme. (Prof. Monier Williams : Hin¬ 
duism, p. 144.) Just as the amorous “ Song of 
Solomon" is said to be allegorical, and to 
mean “Christ’s love for his church.” 

» See Indian Antiquities, iii. 46, and Asiatic 
Researches, vol. i. p. 273. 

io John, xiii. 

n Vishnu Purana, p. 492, note 3. 

i 2 I. Timothy, iii. 16. 

is Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. Crishna is 

Vishnu in human form. “ A more personal, 


and, so to speak, human god than Siva was 
needed for the mass of the people—a god who 
could satisfy the yearnings of the human 
heart for religion of faith (bhakti )—a god 
who could sympathize with, and condescend 
to human wants and necessities. Such a god 
w r as found in the second member of the Tri- 
mutri. It was as Vishnu that the Supreme Being 
was supposed to exhibit his sympathy with 
human trials, and his love for the human race. 

“If Siva is the great god of the Hindu 
Pantheon, to whom adoration is due from all 
indiscriminately, Vishnu is certainly its most 
popular deity. He is the god selected by far 
the greater number of individuals as their 
Saviour, protector and friend, who rescues 
them from the pow r er of evil, interests him¬ 
self in their welfare, and finally admits them 
to his heaven. But it is not so much Vishnu 
in his own person as Vishnu in his incarnations, 
that effects all this for his votaries.” (Prof. 
Monier Williams : Hinduism, p. 100.) 

14 Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Jesus is 
the Son in human form. 



284 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


40. Crishna said: “ Let him if seek¬ 
ing God by deep abstraction, abandon 
his possessions and his hopes, betake 
himse'f to some secluded spot, and fix 
his heart and thoughts on God alone. 1 

41. Crishna said: “Whate’er thou 
dost perform, whate’er thou eatest, 
whate’er thou givest to the poor, 
whate’er thou olferest in sacrifice, 
whate’er thou doest as an act of holy 
presence, do all as if to me, O Arjuna. 
I am the great Sage, without begin¬ 
ning ; I am the Ruler and the All- 
sustainer.” 3 

42. Crishna said : “I am the cause 
of the whole universe; through me it is 
created and dissolved; on me all things 
within it hang and suspend, like pearls 
upon a string.” 5 

43. Crishna said: “ I am the light 
in the Sun and Moon, far, far beyond 
the darkness. I am the brilliancy in 
flame, the radiance in all that’s radiant, 
and the light of lights.” 7 

44. Crishna said: “ I am the sustain- 
er of the world, its friend and Lord. I 
am its way and refuge.” 9 

45. Crishna said : “I am the Good¬ 
ness of the good; I am Beginning, 
Middle, End, Eternal Time, the Birth, 
the Death of all.” 11 

46. Crishna said : “Then be not 
sorrowful, from all thy sins I will 
deliver thee. Think thou on me, have 
faith in me, adore and worship me, 
and join thyself in meditation to me ; 
thus shalt thou come to me, O Arjuna ; 
thus shalt thou rise to my supreme 
abode, where neither sun nor moon 
hath need to shine, for know that all 
the lustre they possess is mine.” 13 


40. Jesus said: “But thou, when 
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and 
when then hast shut thy door, pray to 
thy Father, which is in secret.” 2 

41. Jesus said: “ Whether therefore 
ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, 
do all to the glory of God ” 4 who is the 
great Sage, without beginning; the 
Ruler and the All-sustainer. 


42. “ Of him, and through him, and 
unto him, are all things.” “All things 
were made by him ; and without him 
was not anything made that was made. ” 6 

43. “Then spoke Jesus again unto 
them, saying : I am the light of the 
world; he that followeth me shall not 
walk in darkness, but shall have the 
light of life.” 8 

44. “Jesus said unto them, I am 
the way, the truth, and the life. No 
man cometh unto the Father, but by 
me.” 10 

45. “I am the first and the last; 
and have the keys of hell and of 
death.” 12 

4G. Jesus said: “Be of good cheer; 
thy sins be forgiven thee.” 14 “My 
son, give me thine heart.” 15 “ The 
city had no need of the sun, neither of 
the moon, to shine in it; for the glory 
of God did lighten it.” 16 


Many other remarkable passages might he adduced from the 
Bhagavad-gita, the following of which may be noted : 17 


1 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 211. 

2 Matt. vi. 6. 

3 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 212. 

4 I. Cor. s. 31. 

5 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 213. 

6 John, i. 3. 

7 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 213. 

8 John. viii. 12. 

3 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 213. 


10 John, xiv. 6. 

11 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 213. 

13 Rev. i. 17, 18. 

13 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 214. 

14 Matt. ix. 2. 

16 prov. xxiii. 26. 

16 Rev. xxi. 23. 

17 Quoted from Williams’ Hinduism, pp. 
217-219. 



CRISIINA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


285 


“He who has brought his members under subjection, but sits with foolish 
minds thinking in his heart of sensual things, is called a hypocrite.” (Compare 
Matt. v. 28.) 

“Many are my births that are past ; many are thine too, O Arjuna. I know 
them all, but thou knowest them not.” (Comp. John, viii. 14.) 

“For the establishment of righteousness am I born from time to time.” 
(Comp. John, xviii. 37 ; I. John, iii. 3.) 

“I am dearer to the wise than all possessions, and he is dearer to me.” 
(Comp. Luke, xiv. 33 ; John, xiv. 21.) 

“The ignorant, the unbeliever, and he of a doubting mind perish utterly.” 
(Comp. Mark, xvi. 16.) 

“Deluded men despise me when I take human form.” (Comp. John, i. 10.) 

Crislma liad the titles of u Saviour,” “ Redeemer,” “ Preserver,” 
“ Comforter,” “ Mediator,” &c. He was called “ The Resurrec¬ 
tion and the Life,” “ The Lord of Lords,” “ The Great God,” “ The- 
Holy One,” “ The Good Shepherd,” &c. All of which are titles 
applied to Christ Jesus. 

Justice, humanity, good faith, compassion, disinterestedness, in 
fact, all the virtues, are said 1 to have been taught by Crishnaj both 
by precept and example. 

The Christian missionary Georgius, who found the worship of 
the crucified God in India, consoles himself by saying: “ That which 
P. Cassianus Maceratentis had told me before, I find to have been 
observed more fully in French by the living De Guignes, a most 
learned man ; i. e., that Crishna is the very name corrupted of 
Christ the Saviour.” 2 Many others have since made a similar state¬ 
ment, but unfortunately for them, the name Crishna has nothing 
whatever to do with “ Christ the Saviour.” It is a purely Sanscrit 
word, and means “ the darh god ” or “ the hlaek god .” 3 The word 
Christ (which is not a name, but a title), as we have already seen, is 
a Greek word, and means “ the Anointed,” or “ the Messiah.” The 
fact is, the history of Christ Crishna is older than that of Christ 
Jesus. 

Statues of Crishna are to be found in the very oldest cave tem¬ 
ples throughout India, and it has been satisfactorily proved, on the 
authority of a passage of Arrian , that the worship of Crishna was 
practiced in the time of Alexander the Great at what still remains 
one of the most famous temples of India, the temple of Mathura, 
on the Jumna river, 4 which shows that he was considered a god at 


1 It is said in the Hindoo sacred books that 
Crishna was a religions teacher, but, as we have 
previously remarked, this is a later addition 
to his legendary history. In the ancient epic 
poems he is simply a great hero and warrior. 
The portion pertaining to his religious career, 
is evidently a copy of the history of Buddha. 

2 “ Est Crishna (quod ut mihi pridem indi- 


caverat P. Cassianus Maceratentis, sic nunc 
uberius in Galliis observatum intelligo avivo 
litteratissimo De Guignes) nomen ipsum cor- 
ruptum Christi Servatoris.” 

3 See Williams’ Hinduism, and Maurice : 
Hist. Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 2G9. 

4 See Celtic Druids, pp. 256, 257. 


i 



286 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


that time. 1 We have already seen that, according to Prof. Monier 
Williams, he was deified about the fourth century b. c. 

Rev. J. P. Lundy says: 

“ If we may believe so good an authority as Edward Moor (author of Moor's 
“ Hindu Pantheon,”and “Oriental Fragments ”), both the name of Crishna, and 
the general outline of his history, were long anterior to the birth of our Saviour, 
as very certain things , and probably extended to the time of Homer, nearly nine 
hundred years before Christ, or more than a hundred years before Isaiah lived 
and prophesied.” 2 

In the Sanscrit Dictionary, compiled more than two thousand 
years ago, we have the whole story of Crishna, the incarnate deity, 
born of a virgin, and miraculously escaping in his infancy from 
Kansa, the reigning monarch of the country. 3 

The Rev. J. B. S. Carwithen, known as one of the “ Brampton 
Lecturers,” says : 

“ Both the name of Crishna and the general outline of his story are long an¬ 
terior to the birth of our Saviour; and this we know, not on the presumed anti¬ 
quity of the Hindoo records alone. Both Arrian and Strabo assert that the god 
Crishna was anciently worshiped at Mathura, on the river Jumna, where he is 
worshiped at this day. But the emblems and attributes essential to this deity are 
also transplanted into the mythology of the West.” 4 

On the walls of the most ancient Hindoo temples, are sculptured 
representations of the flight of Yasudeva and the infant Saviour 
Crishna, from King Kansa, who sought to destroy him. The story 
of the slaughtered infants is also the subject of an immense sculp¬ 
ture in the cave temple of Elephanta. A person with a drawn 
sword is represented surrounded by slaughtered infant boys, while 
men and women are supplicating for their children. The date of 
this sculpture is lost in the most remote antiquity. 5 

Th q flat roof of this cavern-temple, and that of Ellora, and every 
other circumstance connected with them, prove that their origin 
must be referred to a very remote epoch. The ancient temples can 
easily be distinguished from the more modern ones—such as those 
of Solsette—by the shape of the roof. The ancient are flat, while 
the more modern are arched. 6 


1 “ Alexander the Great made his expedition 
to the banks of the Indus about 327 b. c., and 

to this invasion is due the first trustworthy 
information obtained by Europeans concern¬ 
ing the north-westerly portion of India and the 
region of the five rivers, down which the 
Grecian troops were conducted in ships by 

Nearchus. Megasthenes, who was the embas¬ 

sador of Seleukos Nikator (Alexander’s succes¬ 

sor, and ruler over the whole region between 

the Euphrates and Indus, b. c. 312), at the court 
of Candra-gupa (Sandrokottus), in Pataliputra 


(Patna), during a long sojourn in that city col¬ 
lected further information, of which Strabo, 
Pliny, Arrian , and others availed themselves.” 
(Williams’ Hinduism, p. 4.) 

2 Monumental Christianity, p. 151. See also, 
Asiatic Researches, i. 273. 

3 See Asiatic Researches, vol. i. pp. 259-273, 

4 Quoted in Monumental Christianity, pp. 
151, 152. 

5 See chapter xviii. 

6 See Prichard’s Egyptian Mythology, p. 112. 





CRISIINA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


287 


The Bhagavacl gita , which contains so many sentiments akin 
to Christianity, and which was not written until about the lirst or 
second century, 1 has led many Christian scholars to believe, and at¬ 
tempt to prove, that they have been borrowed from the New Tes¬ 
tament, but unfortunately for them, their premises are untenable. 
Prof. Monier Williams, the accepted authority on Hindooism, and a 
thorough Christian, writing for the “ Society for Promoting Chris¬ 
tian Knowledge,” knowing that he could not very well overlook 
this subject in speaking of the Bhagavad-gita , says : 

“ To any one who has followed me in tracing the outline of this remarkable 
philosophical dialogue, and has noted the numerous parallels it offers to passages 
in our Sacred Scriptures, it may seem strange that I hesitate to concur to any 
theory which explains these coincidences by supposing that the author had ac¬ 
cess to the New Testament, or that he derived some of his ideas from the first 
propagators of Christianity. Surely it will be conceded that the probability of 
contact and interaction between Gentile systems and the Christian religion of the 
first two centuries of our era must have been greater in Italy than in India. Yet, 
if we take the writings and sayings of those great Roman philosophers, Seneca, 
Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, we shall find them full of resemblances to pass¬ 
ages in our Scriptures, while their appears to be no ground whatever for sup¬ 
posing that these eminent Pagan writers and thinkers derived any of their ideas 
from either Jewish or Christian sources. In fact, the Rev. F. W. Farrar, in his 
interesting and valuable work ‘Seekers after God,’has clearly shown that ‘to 
say that Pagan morality kindled its faded taper at the Gospel light, whether 
furtively or unconsciously, that it dissembled the obligation and made a boast of 
the splendor, as if it were originally her own, is to make an assertion wholly 
untenable.’ He points out that the attempts of the Christian Fathers to make out 
Pythagoras a debtor to Hebraic wisdom, Plato an ‘Atticizing Moses,’ Aristote a 
picker-up of ethics from a Jew, Seneca a correspondent of St. Paul, were due ‘ in 
some cases to ignorance, in some to a want of perfect honesty in controversial 
dealing.’ 2 

‘ i His arguments icoulclbe even more conclusive if applied to the Bhagavad-gita, the 
author of which was probably contemporaneous with Seneca. 3 It must, indeed, 
be admitted that the flames of true’light which emerge from the mists of pan¬ 
theism in the writings of Indian philosophers, must spring from the same source 
of light as the Gospel itself ; but it may reasonably be questioned whether there 
could have been any actual contact of the Hindoo systems with Christianity with- 


1 In speaking of the antiquity of the 
Bhagavad-gita , Prof. Monier Williams says : 

*• The author was probably a Brahman and 
nominally a Vishnava, but really a philosopher 
whose mind was cast in a broad and compre¬ 
hensive mould. He is supposed to have lived 
in India during the first and second century 
of our era. Some consider that he lived as late 
as the third century, and some place him even 
later, but with these I cannot agree." (Indian 
Wisdom, p. 137.) 

3 In order that the resemblances to Christian 
Scripture in the writings of Roman philosophers 
may be compared, Prof. Williams refers the 


reader to “ Seekers after God,” by the Rev. 
F. W. Farrar, and Dr. Ramage’s “Beautiful 
Thoughts.” The same sentiments are to be 
found in Manu, which, says Prof. Williams, 
“few will place later than the fifth century 
b.c.” The Mahabhrata, written many centuries 
B. c., contains numerous parallels to New Tes¬ 
tament sayings. (See our chapter on “ Pagan¬ 
ism in Christianity.”) 

3 Seneca, the celebrated Roman philosopher, 
was born at Corduba, in Spain, a few years 
B.c. When a child, he was brought by his father 
to Rome, where he was initiated in the study 
of eloquence. 



288 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


out a more satisfactory result in the modification of pantheistic and anti-Chris¬ 
tian ideas." 1 

Again lie says: 

“ It should not be forgotten that although the nations of Europd have changed 
their religions during the past eighteen centuries, the Hindu has not done so, ex¬ 
cept very'partially. Islam converted a certain number by force of arms in the 
eighth and following centuries, and Christian truth is at last slowly creeping 
onwards and winning its way by its own inherent energy in the nineteenth; but 
the religious creeds, rites, customs, and habits of thought of the Hindus generally, have 
altered little since the days of Manu, five hundred years b. c.” 2 

These words are conclusive; comments, therefore, are unneces¬ 
sary. 

Geo. W. Cox, in his “ Aryan Mythology,” speaking on this sub¬ 
ject says: 

“It is true that these myths have been crystallized around the name of Crislina 
in ages subsequent to the period during which the earliest vedic literature came 
into existence; but the myths themselves are found in this older literature associated 
with other gods, and not always only in germ. There is no more room for infer¬ 
ring foreign influence in the qroicth of any of these myths than, as Bunsen rightly 
insists, there is room for tracing Christian influence in the earlier epical literature of 
the Teutonic tribes. Practically the myths of Crishna seems to have been fully 
developed in the days of Megasthenes (fourth century b. c.) who identifies him 
with the Greek Hercules.” 3 

It should be remembered, in connection with this, that Dr. 
Parkhurst and others have considered Hercules a type of Christ 
Jesus. 

In the ancient epics Crishna is made to say: 

“lam Yislmu, Brahma, Indra, and the source as well as the destruction of 
things, the creator and the annihilator of the whole aggregate of existences. 
While all men live in unrighteousness, I, the unfailing, build up the bulwark of 
righteousness, as the ages pass away.” 4 

These words are almost identical with what we find in the 
Bhagavacl-gita. In the Maha-bharata , Vishnu is associated or 
identified with Crishna, just as he is in the Bhagavad-gita and 
Vishnu Pur ana, showing, in the words of Prof. Williams, that: the 
Puranas , although of a comparatively modern date, are neverthe¬ 
less composed of matter to be found in the two great epic poems 
the Pamayana and the Maha-bharata* 


1 Indian Wisdom, pp. 153, 154. Similar 
sentiments are expressed in his Hinduism, pp. 
212-220. 

2 Indian Wisdom, p. iv. 

3 Cox : Aryan My thology, vol. ii. pp. 137,138. 

* Ibid. p. 131. 


6 Williams’ Hinduism, pp. 119-110. It was 
from these sources that the doctrine of incar¬ 
nation was first evolved by the Brahman. 
They were written many centuries b. c. (See 
Ibid.) 




CHAPTER XXIX. 


CHRIST BUDDIIA AND CHRIST JESUS COMPARED. 


“ The more I learn to know Buddha the more I admire him, and the sooner 
all mankind shall have been made acquainted with his doctrines the better it will 
be, for he is certainly one of the heroes of humanity.” Fausboll. 


The mythological portions of tlie histories of Buddha and Jesus 
are, without doubt, nearer in resemblance than that of any two char¬ 
acters of antiquity. The cause of this we shall speak of in our 
chapter on “ Why Christianity Prospered,” and shall content our¬ 
selves for the present by comparing the following analogies : 


1. Buddha was born of the Virgin 
Mary. 1 who conceived him without car¬ 
nal intercourse. 2 

2. The incarnation of Buddha is 
recorded to have been brought about 
by the dessent of the divine power 
called the “Holy Ghost,” upon the 
Virgin Maya. 4 

3. When Buddha descended from 


1. Jesus was born of the Virgin 
Mary, who conceived him without car¬ 
nal intercourse. 3 

2. The incarnation of Jesus is re¬ 
corded to have been brought about by 
the descent of the divine power called 
the “Holy Ghost,” upon the Virgin 
Mary. 3 

3. When Jesus descended from his 


1 Maya, and Mary, as we have already seen, 
are one and the same name. 

3 See chap. xii. Buddha is considered to be 
an incarnation of Vishnu, although he preached 
against the doctrines of the Brahmans. The 
adoption of Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu 
was really owning to the desire of the Brahmans 
to effect a compromise with Buddhism. (See 
Williams’ Hinduism, pp. 82 and 108.) 

“ Buddha was brought forth not from the 
matrix, but from the right side, of a virgin.” 
(De Guignes: Hist, des Huns, tom. i. p. 224.) 

“ Some of the (Christian) heretics main¬ 
tained that Christ was born from the side of 
his mother.” (Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 157.) 

“ In the eyes of the Buddhists, this personage 
is sometimes a man and sometimes a god, or 
rather both one and the other, a divine incar¬ 
nation, a man-god ; who came into the world 
to enlighten men, to redeem them, and to indi¬ 
cate to them the way of safety. This idea of 
redemption by a divine incarnation is so gcn- 

19 


eral and popular among the Buddhists, that 
during our travels in Upper Asia, we every¬ 
where found it expressed in a neat formula. 
If we addressed to a Mongol or Thibetan the 
question, ‘ Who is Buddha ?’ he would imme¬ 
diately reply, ‘ The Saviour of Men.’ ” (M. 

L’Abbe Hue : Travels, vol. i. p. 326.) 

“ The miraculous birth of Buddha, his life 
and instructions, contain a great number of the 
moral and dogmatic truths professed in Chris¬ 
tianity.” (Ibid. p. 327.) 

“ He in mercy left paradise, and came down 
to earth because he was filled with compassion 
for the sins and misery of mankind. He 
sought to lead them into better paths, and took 
their sufferings upon himself, that he might 
expiate their crimes, and mitigate the punish¬ 
ment they must otherwise inevitably undergo.” 
(L. Maria Child.) 

3 Matt. ch. i. 

4 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, pp. 10,25 and 
44. Also, ch. xiii. this work. 


289 



290 


BIBLE MYTHS 


the regions of the souls, 1 and entered 
the body of the Virgin Maya, her womb 
assumed the appearance of clear trans¬ 
parent crystal, in which Buddha ap¬ 
peared, beautiful as a flower. 2 

4. The birth of Buddha was an¬ 
nounced in the heavens by an asterim 
which was seen rising on the horizon. 
It is called the “Messianic Star.” 4 

5. “The son of the Virgin Maya, 
on whom, according to the tradition, 
the ‘ Holy Ghost ’ had descended, was 
said to have been born on Christmas 
day.” 6 

6. Demonstrations of celestial de¬ 
light were manifest at the birth of Bud* 
dha. The Devas 8 in heaven and earth 
sang praises to the “Blessed One,” 
and said: “ To day, Bodhisatwa is born 
on earth, to give joy and peace to men 
and Devas, to shed light, in the dark 
places, and to give sight to the blind.” 9 

7. “Buddha was visited by wise 
men who recognized in this marvelous 
infant all the characters of the divinity, 
and he had scarcely seen the day before 
he was hailed God of Gods.” 11 

8. The infant Buddha was presented 
with “ costly jewels and precious sub¬ 
stances.” 13 

9. When Buddha was an infant, 
just born, he spoke to his mother, and 
said: “ I am the greatest among men.” 15 


heavenly seat, and entered the body of 
the Virgin Mary, her womb assumed 
the appearance of clear transparent 
crystal, in which Jesus appeared beau¬ 
tiful as a flower. 3 

4. The birth of Jesus was announced 
in the heavens by “his star,” which was 
seen rising on the horizon. 5 It might 
properly be called the “'Messianic 
Star.” ' 

5. The Son of the Virgin Mary, on 
whom, according to the tradition, the 
‘Holy Ghost’ had descended, was said 
to have been born on Christmas day. 7 

6. Demonstrations of celestial de¬ 
light were manifest at the birth of Jesus. 
The angels in heaven and earth sang 
praises to the “Blessed One,” saying : 
“Glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, good will toward men.” 10 

7. Jesus was visited by wise men 
who recognized in this marvelous in¬ 
fant all the characters of the divinity, 
and he had scarcely seen the day before 
he was hailed God of Gods. 12 

8. The infant Jesus was presented 
with gifts of gold, frankincense, and 
myrrh. 14 

9. When Jesus was an infant in his 
cradle, he spoke to his mother, and 
said : “ I am Jesus, the Son of God.” 16 


1 “As a spirit in the fourth heaven he 
resolves to give up all that glory in order to 
be bom in the world tor the purpose of res¬ 
cuing all men from their*misery and every 
future consequence of it: he vows to deliver 
all men who are left as it were without a Sa¬ 
viour." (Bunsen : The Augel-Messiah, p. 20.) 

2 See King’s Gnostics, p. 168, and Hardy’s 
Manual of Buddhism, p. 144. 

3 See chap. xii. note 2, page 117. 

“ On a painted glass of the sixteenth cen¬ 

tury, found in the church of Jouy, a little 

village in France, the Virgin is represented 

standing, her hands clasped in prayer, and the 

naked body of the child in the same attitude 

appears upon her stomach, apparently sup¬ 

posed to be seen through the garments and 

body of the mother. M. Drydon saw at Lyons 

a Salutation painted on shutters, in which the 

two infants (Jesus and John) likewise depicted 

on their mothers’ stomachs, were also salut¬ 

ing each other. This precisely corresponds to 


Buddhist accounts of the Boddhisattvas ante¬ 
natal proceedings.’’ (Viscount Amberly: 
Analysis of Rclig. Belief, p. 224, note.) 

4 See chap. xiii. 

3 Matt. ii. 1, 2. 

6 Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. x. 

7 We show, in our chapter on “ The 
Birth-Day of Christ Jesus,” that this was not 
the case. This day was adopted by his fol¬ 
lowers long after his death. 

8 “ Devas ,” i. e., angels. 

9 See chap. xiv. 

10 Luke, ii. 13, 14. 

11 See chap. xv. 

12 Matt. ii. 1-11. 

13 See chap. xi. 

14 Matt. ii. 11. 

16 See Hardy’s Manual of Buddhism, pp. 145, 
146. 

16 Gospel of Infancy, Apoc., i. 3. No sooner 
was Apollo born than he spoke to his virgin- 
mother, declaring that he should teach to men 




BUDDHA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


291 


10. Baddlia was a “ dangerous 
child.'’ His life was threatened by 
King Bimbasara, who was advised to 
destroy the child, as he was liable to 
overthrow him. 1 

11. When sent to school, the young 
Buddha surprised his masters. With¬ 
out having ever studied, he completely 
worsted all his competitors, not only in 
writing, but in arithmetic, mathema¬ 
tics, metaphysics, astrology, geome¬ 
try, &c. 4 • 

12. “When twelve years old the 
child Buddha is presented in the tem¬ 
ple. He explains and asks learned 
questions; he excels all those who enter 
into competition with him.” 6 

13. Buddha entered a temple, on 
which occasion forthwith all the statues 
rose and threw themselves at his feet, 
in act of worship. 8 

14. “ The ancestry of Gotama Bud¬ 
dha is traced from his father, Sodhd- 
dana, through various individuals and 
races, all of royal dignity, to Maha 
Sammala, the first monarch of the 
world. Several of the names and some 
of the events are met with in the Pur- 
anas of the Brahmans, but it is not 
possible to reconcile one order of state¬ 
ment with the other ; and it would 
appear that the Buddhist historians 


10. Jesus was a “dangerous child.” 
His life was threatened by King Her¬ 
od, 2 who attempted to destroy the 
child, as he was liable to overthrow 
him. 3 

11. When sent to school, Jesus sur¬ 
prised his master Zaccheus, who, turn¬ 
ing to Joseph, said: ‘ ‘ Thou hast brought 
a boy to me to be taught, who is more 
learned than any master.” 5 

12. “And when he was twelve years 
old,they brought him to (the temple at) 
Jerusalem .... While in the temple 
among the doctors and elders, and 
learned men of Israel, he proposed 
several questions of learning, and also 
gave them answers.” 7 

13. “And as Jesus was going in by 
the ensigns, who carried the standards, 
the tops of them bowed down and wor¬ 
shiped Jesus.” 9 

14. The ancestry of Jesus is traced 
from his father, Joseph, through vari¬ 
ous individuals, nearly all of whom 
were of royal dignity, to Adam, the 
first monarch of the world. Several of 
the names, and some of the events, are 
met with in the sacred Scriptures of 
the Hebrews, but it is not possible to 
reconcile one order of statement with 
the other; and it would appear that 
the Christian historians have invented 


the councils of his heavenly father Zeus. (See 
Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 22.) Hermes 
spoke to his mother as soon as he was born, 
and, according to Jewish tradition, so did 
Moses. (See Hardy’s Manual of Buddhism, p. 
145.) 

1 See Beal : Hist. Buddha, pp. 103, 104. 

2 See Matt. ii. 1. 

3 That is, provided he was the expected 
Messiah, who was to be a mighty prince and 
warrior, and who was to rule his people Israel. 

4 See Hardy's Manual of Buddhism; Bun¬ 
sen’s Augel-Messiah ; Beal’s Hist. Buddha, 
and other works on Buddhism. 

This was a common myth. For instance : 
A Brahman called Dashthaka, a '■'■heaven de¬ 
scended mortal ,” after his birth, without any 
human instruction ivhatever, was able thor¬ 
oughly to explain the four Vedas, the collective 
body of the sacred writings of the Hindoos, 
which were considered as directly revealed by 
Brahma. (See Beal’s Hist. Buddha, p. 48.) 


Confucius, the miraculous-born Chinese 
sage, was a wonderful child. At the age of 
seven he went to a public school, the superior 
of which was a person of eminent wisdom and 
piety. The faculty with which Confucius im¬ 
bibed the lessons of his master, the ascendency 
which he acquired amongst his fellow pupils, 
and the superiority of his genius and capacity, 
raised universal admiration. He appeared to 
acquire knowledge intuitively, and his mother 
found it superfluous to teach him what “ heaven 
had already engraven upon his heart.” (See 
Thornton’s Hist. China, vol. i. p. 153.) 

5 See Infancy, Ajk>c., xx. 11, and Luke, ii. 
46, 47, 

6 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 37, and 
Beal: Hist. Buddha, pp. 67-69. 

7 See Infancy, Apoc., xxi. 1, 2, and Luke, ii. 
41-48. 

8 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 37, and 
Beal: Hist. Bud. 67-69. 

9 Nicodemus, Apoc., ch. i. 20. 



292 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


have introduced races, and invented 
names, that they may invest their ven¬ 
erated Sage with all the honors of 
heraldry, in addition to the attributes of 
divinity.” 1 

15. When Buddha was about to go 
forth “toadopt a religious life,” Mara? 
appeared before him, to tempt him. 4 * 

1G. Mara said unto Buddha: “Go 
not forth to adopt a religious life, and 
in seven days thou shalt become an 
emperor of the world.” 6 

17. Buddha w r ould not heed the 
words of the Evil One, and said to him: 
“ Get thee away from me.” 8 

18. After Mara had left Buddha, 
“the skies rained flowers, and delici¬ 
ous odors pervaded the air.” 10 

19. Buddha fasted for a long 
' period. 12 

20. Buddha, the Saviour, was bap¬ 
tized, and at this recorded water- 
baptism the Spirit of God was present; 
that is, not only the highest God, but 
also the “ Holy Ghost,” through whom 
the incarnation of Gautama Bud¬ 
dha is recorded to have been brought 
about by the descent of that Divine 
power upon the Virgin Maya. 14 

21. “On one occasion toward the 
end of his life on earth, Gautama Bud¬ 
dha is reported to have been trans¬ 
figured. When on a mountain in Cey¬ 
lon, suddenly a flame of light de¬ 
scended upon him and encircled the 
crown of his head with a circle of 
light. The mount is called Pandava, 
or yellow-white color. It is said that 
‘ the glory of his person shone forth 
with double power,’ that his body was 
‘glorious as a bright golden image,’ 
that he ‘ shone as the brightness of the 
sun and moon,’ that b} r standers ex¬ 
pressed their opinion, that he could 
not be ‘ an every-day person,’ or ‘ a 


1 R. Spence Hardy, in Manual of Buddhism. 

2 See chap. xvii. 

3 “Mara” is the “Author of Evil,” the 
“ King of Death,” the “ God of the World of 
Pleasure,” &c., i. e., the Devil. (See Beal : 
Hist. Buddha, p. 36.) 

4 See ch. xix. 

8 Matt. iv. 1-18. 

8 See ch. xix. 


and introduced names, that they may 
invest their venerated Sage with all the 
honors of heraldry, in addition to the 
attributes of divinity. 2 3 

15. When Jesus was about “ begin¬ 
ning to preach,” the devil appeared be¬ 
fore him, to tempt him. 6 

16. The devil said to Jesus: If thou 
wilt fall down and worship me, I will 
give thee all the kingdoms of the 
world. 1 

17. Jesus would not heed the words 
of the Evil One, and said to him: “Get 
thee behind me, Satan.” 9 

18. After the devil had left Jesus, 
“angels came and ministered unto 
him.” 11 

19. Jesus fasted forty days and 
nights. 13 

20. Jesus was baptized by John in 
the river Jordan, at "which time the 
Spirit of God was present; that is, not 
only the highest God, but also the 
'“Holy Ghost,” through whom the in¬ 
carnation of Jesus is recorded to have 
been brought about, by the descent of 
that Divine power upon the Virgin 
Mary. 15 

21. On one occasion during his 
career on earth, Jesus is reported to 
have been transfigured: “Jesus taketh 
Peter, James, and John his brother, 
and bringeth them up into a high 
mountain apart. And was transfigured 
before them: and his face did shine as 
the sun, and his raiment as white as 
the light.” 16 


7 Matt. iv. 8-19. 

8 See ch. xix. 

9 Luke, iv. 8. 

10 See ch. xix. 

11 Matt. iv. 11. 

12 See ch. xix. 

13 Matt. iv. 2. 

44 Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. 45. 

16 Matt. iii. 13-17. 48 Matt. xvii. 1 , 2. 




BUDDHA AND JESUS COMPARED 


293 


mortal man,’ and that his body was 
divided into three 1 parts, from each of 
which a ray of light issued forth.” 2 

22. “Buddha performed great mir¬ 
acles for the good of mankind, and the 
legends concerning him are full of the 
greatest prodigies and wonders.” 3 

23. By prayers in the name of Bud¬ 
dha, his followers expect to receive the 
rewards of paradise. 5 

24. When Buddha died and was 
buried, “ the coverings of the body un¬ 
rolled themselves, and the lid of his 
coffin was opened by supernatural 
powers.” 6 

25. Buddha ascended bodily to the 
celestial regions, when his mission on 
earth was fulfilled. 8 

20. Buddha is to come upon the 
earth again in the latter days, his mis¬ 
sion being to restore the world to order 
and happiness. 10 

27. Buddha is to be judge of the 
dead. 12 

28. Buddha is Alpha and Omega, 
without beginning or end, “the Su¬ 
preme Being, the Eternal One.” 14 

29. Buddha is represented as say¬ 
ing: “Let all the sins that were com¬ 
mitted in this world fall on me, that 
the world maybe delivered.” 17 

80. Buddha said: “ Hide your good 
deeds, and confess before the world 
the sins you have committed.” 19 


22. Jesus performed great miracles 
for the good of mankind, and the le¬ 
gends concerning him are full of the 
greatest prodigies and wonders. 4 

23. By prayers in the name of Jesus, 
his followers expect to receive the re¬ 
wards of paradise. 

24. When Jesus died and was 
buried, the coverings of his body were 
unrolled from otf him, and his tomb 
was opened by supernatural powers. 7 

25. Jesus ascended bodily to the 
celestial regions, when his mission on 
earth was fulfilled. 9 

26. Jesus is to come upon the earth 
again in the latter days, his mission be¬ 
ing to restore the world to order and 
happiness. 11 

27. Jesus is to be the judge of the 
dead. 13 

28. Jesus is Alpha and Omega, 
without beginning or end, 15 the Su¬ 
preme Being, the Eternal One. 16 

29. Jesus is represented as the Sav¬ 
iour of mankind, and all sins that are 
committed in this world may fall on 
him, that the world may be delivered. 18 

30. Jesus taught men to hide their 
good deeds, 20 and to confess before the 
world the sins they had committed. 21 


7 This has evidently an allusion to the Trin¬ 
ity. Buddha, as an incarnation of Vishnu, 
would be one god and yet three, three gods 
and yet one. (See the chapter on the Trinity.) 

2 See Biinsan’s Angel-Messiah, p. 45, and 
Beal: Hist. Buddha, p. 177. 

Iamblichns , the great Neo-Platonic mystic , 
was at one time transfigured. According to 
the report of his servants, ivkile in prayer to 
the gods , his body and clothes were changed 
to a beautiful gold color, but after he ceased 
from prayer, his body became as before. He 
then returned to the society of his followers. 
(Primitive Culture, i. 13(5, 137.) 

3 See ch. xxvii. 

4 See that recorded in Matt. viii. 2S-34. 

5 See ch. xxiii. 

6 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 49. 

7 See Matt, xxviii. John, xx. 

8 See chap, xxiii. 9 See Acts, i. 9-12. 

See ch. xxiv. 11 See Ibid. 

12 See ch. xxv. 13 Matt, xvi.27; John, v. 22. 


74 “Buddha, the Angel-Messiah, was re¬ 
garded as the divinely chosen and incarnate 
messenger, the vicar of God, and God himself 
on earth.” (Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. 
33. See also, our chap, xxvi.) 

15 Rev. i. 8 ; xxii. 13. 

16 John, i. 1. Titus, ii. 13. Romans, ix. 5. 
Acts, vii. 59, CO. 

17 Muller : Hist. Sanscrit Literature, p. 80. 

78 This is according to Christian dogma : 

“ Jesus paid it all, 

All to him is due, 

Nothing, either great or small, 
Remains for me to do.” 

19 Muller : Science of Religion, p. 28. 

20 “ Take heed that ye do not your alms 
before men, to be seen of them : otherwise ye 
have no reward of your father which is in 
heaven.” (Malt. vi. 1.) 

72 “ Confess your faults one to another, and 
pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” 
(James, v. 16.) 




294 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


31. “Buddha was described as a 
superhuman organ of light, to whom 
a superhuman organ of darkness, Mara 
or Naga, the Evil Serpent, was op¬ 
posed.” 1 

32. Buddha came, not to destroy, 
but to fulfill, the law. He delighted in 
‘ ‘ representing himself as a mere link in 
a^ong chain of enlightened teachers.” 4 

33. “ One day Ananda, the disciple 
of Buddha, after a long walk in the 
country, meets with Matangi, a woman 
of the low caste of the Ivandalas, near a 
well, and asks her for some water. She 
tells him what she is, and that she 
must not come near him. But he re¬ 
plies, ‘ My sister, I ask not for thy 
caste or thy family, I ask only for a 
draught of water.’ She afterwards be¬ 
came a disciple of Buddha.” 6 

34. “ According to Buddha, the mo¬ 
tive of all our actions should be pity or 
love for our neighbor.” 8 

35. During the early part of his ca¬ 
reer as a teacher, “Buddha went to 
the city of Benares, and there delivered 
a discourse, by which Kondanya, and 
afterwards four others, were induced 
to become his disciples. From that 
period, whenever he preached, multi¬ 
tudes of men and women embraced his 
doctrines.” 10 

36. Those who became disciples of 
Buddha were told that they must “ re¬ 
nounce the world,” give up all their 
riches, and avow poverty. 13 

1 Bunsen.: The Angel-Messiah, pp. x. and 39. 

2 “ That was the true light, which lighteth 
every man that cometh into the world.” 
(John, i. 9.) 

3 Matt. iv. 1; Mark, i. 13 ; Luke, iv. 2. 

4 Muller : Science of Religion, p. 140. 

s Matt. v. 17. 

6 Muller : Science of Religion, p. 243. See 
also, Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, pp. 47, 48, and 
Amberly’s Analysis, p. 285. 

7 John, iv. 1-11. 

Just as the Samaritan woman wondered that 
Jesus, a Jew, should ask drink of her, one of 

a nation with whom the Jews had no dealings, 

so this young Matangi warned Ananda of her 

caste, which rendered it unlawful for her to 

approach a monk. And as Jesus continued, 
nevertheless, to converse with the woman, so 
Ananda did not shrink from this outcast damsel. 
And as the disciples “ marvelled ” that Jesus 

should have conversed with this member of a 

despised race, so the respectable Brahmans and 


31. Jesus was described as a super¬ 
human organ of light—“the Sun of 
Righteousness ” 2 — opposed by ‘ ‘ the 
old Serpent,” the Satan, hinderer, or 
adversary. 3 

32. Jesus said: “Think not that I 
am come to destroy the law, or the 
prophets: I am not come to destroy, 
but to fulfill.” 5 

33. One day Jesus, after a long 
walk, cometh to the city of Samaria, 
and being wearied with his journey, 
sat on a well. While there, a woman 
of Samaria came to draw water, and 
Jesus said unto her: ‘ ‘ give me to drink. ’’ 
“ Then said the woman unto him: How 
is it that thou, being a Jew, asketh drink 
of me, which am a woman of Samaria? 
For the Jews have no dealings with the 
Samaritans.” 7 

34. ‘ ‘ Love your enemies, bless them 
that curse you, do good to them that 
hate you.” 9 

35. During the early part of his 
career as a teacher, Jesus went to the 
city of Capernaum, and there delivered 
a discourse. It was at this time that 
four fishermen were induced to become 
his disciples. 11 From that period,when¬ 
ever he preached, multitudes of men 
and women embraced his doctrines. 12 

36. Those who became disciples of 
Jesus were told that they must renounce 
the world, give up all their riches, and 
avow poverty. 14 

householders who adheied to Brahmanism were 
scandalized to learn that the young Matangi 
had been admitted to the order of mendicants. 

8 Muller : Religion of Science, p. 249. 

9 Matt. v. 44. 

10 Hardy : Eastern Monachism, p. 6. 

11 See Matt. iv. 13-25. 

12 “And there followed him great multitudes 
of people.” (Matt. iv. 25.) 

13 Hardy : Eastern Monachism, pp. 6 and 62 
et seq. 

While at Rajageiha Buddha called together 
his followers and addressed them at some 
length on the means requisite for Buddhist 
salvation. This sermon was summed up in the 
celebrated verse : 

“ To cease from all sin, 

To get virtue. 

To cleanse one’s own heart— 

This is the religion of the Buddhas.” 

—(Rhys David’s Buddha, p. 02.) 

14 See Matt. viii. 19, 20; xvi. 25-28. 




BUDDHA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


295 


37. It is recorded in the “Sacred 
Canon ” of the Buddhists that the mul¬ 
titudes “ required a sign ” from Buddha 
“ that they might believe.” 1 

38. When Buddha’s time on earth 
was about coming to a close, he, “fore¬ 
seeing the things that would happen in 
future times,” said to his disciple An- 
anda: “ Ananda, when I am gone, you 
must not think there is no Buddha; the 
discourses I have delivered, and the pre¬ 
cepts I have enjoined, must be my suc¬ 
cessors, or representatives, and be to you 
as Buddha.” 3 

39. In the Buddhist Somadera, is to 
be found the following: “ Ta give 
away our riches is considered the most 
difficult virtue in the world; he who 
gives away his riches is like a man who 
gives away his life: for our very life 
seems to cling to our riches. But Bud¬ 
dha, when his mind was moved by 
pity, gave his life like grass, for the sake 
of others; why should we think of 
miserable riches! By this exalted vir¬ 
tue, Buddha, when he was freed from 
all desires, and had obtained divine 
knowledge, attained untoBuddhahood. 
Therefore let a wise man, after he has 
turned away his desires from all pleas¬ 
ures, do good to all beings, even unto 
sacrificing his own life, that thus he 
may attain to true knowledge.” 6 

40. Buddha’s aim was to establish 


37. It is recorded in the “Sacred 
Canon ” of the Christians that the mul¬ 
titudes required a sign from Jesus that 
they might believe. 2 

38. When Jesus’ time on earth was 
about coming to a close, he told of the 
things that would happen in future 
times, 4 and said unto his disciples: 
“ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, 
teaching them to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded you; 
and, lo, I am with you alway, even un¬ 
to the «nd of the world.” 5 

39. “And behold, one came and 

said unto him, Good Master, what 
good tiling shall I do, that I may have 
eternal life? . . . Jesus said unto him, 
If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that 
thou hast, and give to the poor, and 
thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and 
come and follow me.” 7 “ Lay not up 

for yourselves treasures upon earth, 
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and 
where thieves break through and steal: 
But lay up for yourselves treasures in 
heaven, where neither moth nor rust 
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not 
break through nor steal.” 8 


40. “From that time Jesus began 


1 Muller : Science of Religion, p. 27. 

3 Hardy : Eastern Monachism, p. 230. 

“ Gautama Buddha is said to have an¬ 
nounced to his disciples that the time of his 
departure had come : ‘ Arise, let us go hence, 
my time is come.’ Turned toward the East 
and with folded arms he prayed to the highest 
spirit who inhabits the region of purest light, 
to Maha-Brahma, to the king in heaven, to 
Devaraja, who from his throne looked down on 
Gautama, and appeared to him in a self-chosen 
personality.” (Bunsen • The Angel-Messiah. 
Compare with Matt. xxvi. 3G-47.) 

2 “Then certain of the scribes and Phar¬ 

isees answered, saying. Master, we would see 
a sign from thee.” (Matt. xii. 38.) 

4 See Matt, xxiv ; Mark, viii. 31 ; Luke, ix. 

18 . 

5 Mark, xxviii. 18-20. 

Buddha at one time said to his disciples : 

“ Go ye now, and preach the most excellent 

law, expounding every point thereof, and un¬ 


folding it vuth care and attention in all its 
bearings and particulars. Explain the begin¬ 
ning, the middle, and the end of the law, to 
all men without exception ; let everything 
respecting it be made publicly known and 
brought to the broad daylight.” (Rhys David's 
Buddhism, p. 55, 56.) 

When Buddha, just before his death, took 
his last formal farewell of his assembled fol¬ 
lowers, he said unto them : “ Oh mendicants, 
thoroughly learn, and practice, and perfect, 
and spread abroad the law thought out and 
revealed by me, in order that this religion of 
mine may last long, and be perpetuated for 
the good and happiness of the great multi¬ 
tudes, out of pity for the world, to the advan¬ 
tage and prosperity of gods and men.” (Ibid, 
p. 172.) 

6 Muller : Science of Religion, p. 244. 

7 Matt. xix. 16-21. 

8 Matt. vi. 19, 20. 



•296 


BIBLE MYTHS 


a “Religious Kingdom,” a “ Kingdom 
of Heaven.” 1 

41. Buddha said: “I now desire to 
turn the wheel of the excellent law. 3 
For this purpose am I going to the city 
of Benares, 4 to give light to those en¬ 
shrouded in darkness, and to open the 
gate of Immortality to man.” 5 

42. Buddha said: “Though the 
heavens were to fall to earth, and the 
great world be swallowed up and pass 
away: Though Mount Sumera were to 
crack to pieces, and the great ocean be 
dried up, yet, Ananda, he assured, the 
words of Buddha are true.” 7 

43. Buddha said: “ There is no pas¬ 
sion more violent than voluptuous¬ 
ness. Happily there is but one such 
passion. If there were two, not a man 
in the whole universe could follow the 
truth.” “Beware of fixing your eyes 
upon women. If you find yourself in 
their company, let it be as though you 
were not present. If you speak with 
them, guard well your hearts.” 10 

44. Buddha said: “A wise man 
should avoid married life as if it were 


to preach, and to say, Repent: for the 
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” 2 

41. Jesus, after his temptation by 
the devil, began to establish the domin¬ 
ion of his religion, and he went for 
this purpose to the city of Capernaum. 
“ The people which sat in darkness saw 
great light, and to them which sat in 
the region and shadow of death, light 
is sprung up.” 6 

42. “ The law was given by Moses, 
but grace and truth came by Jesus 
Christ. ” 8 

‘ ‘ Verily I say unto you . . . heaven 
and earth shall pass away, but my words 
shall not pass away.” 9 

43. Jesus said: “Ye have heard 
that it was said by them of old time. 
Thou shalt not commit adultery: But 
I say unto you, that whosoever looketh 
on a woman to lust after her, hath com¬ 
mitted adultery with her already in his 
heart.” 11 


44. “It is good for a man not to 
touch a woman,” “but if they cannot 


1 Beal : Hist. Buddha, p. x. note. 

2 _ Matt. iv. 17. 

3 i. e., to establish the dominion of relig¬ 
ion. (See Beal: p. 244, note.) 

4 The Jerusalem, the Rome, or the Mecca 
of India. 

This celebrated city of Benares, which has 
a population of 200.000, out of which at least 
25,000 are Brahmans, was probably one of the 
first to acquire a fame for sanctity, and it has 
always maintained its reputation as the most 
sacred spot in all India. Here, in this fortress 
of Hindooism, Brahmanism displays itself in all 
its plentitude and power. Here the degrding 
effect of idolatry is visibly demonstrated as it is 
nowhere else except in the extreme south of In¬ 
dia. Here, temples, idols, and symbols, sacred 
wells, springs, and pools, are multiplied beyond 
all calculation. Here every particle of ground is 

believed to be hallowed, and the very air holy. 

The number of temples is at least two thou¬ 

sand, not counting innumerable smaller shrines. 
In the principal temple of Siva, called Visves- 
vara, are collected in one spot several thousand 

idols and symbols, the whole number scattered 

throughout the city, being, it is thought, at 
jeast half a million. 

- Benares, indeed, must always be regarded 


as the Hindoo's Jerusalem. The desire of a 
pious man’s life is to accomplish at least one 
pilgrimage to what he regards as a portion of 
heaven let down upon earth ; and if he can 
die within the holy circuit of the Pancakosi 
stretching with a radius of ten miles around 
the city—nay, if any human being die there, 
be he Asiatic or European—no previously incur¬ 
red guilt, however heinous, can prevent his 
attainment of celestial bliss. 

6 Beal : Hist. Buddha, p. 245. 

6 Matt. iv. 13-17. 

7 Beal: Hist. Buddha, p. 11. 

8 John, i. 17. 

9 Lake, xxi. 32, 33. 

10 prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 228. 

11 Matt. v. 27, 28. 

On one occasion Buddha preached a sermon 
on the five senses and the heart (which he 
regarded as a sixth organ of sense), which 
pertained to guarding against the passion of 
lust. Rhys Davids, who, in speaking of this 
sermon, says: “One may pause and wonder 
at finding such a sermon preached so early in 
the history of the world—more than 400 years 
before the rise of Christianity—and among a 
people who have long been thought peculiarly 
idolatrous and sensual.” (Buddhism, p. 00.) 



BUDDHA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


297 


a burning pit of live coals. One who 
is not able to live in a state of celibacy 
should not commit adultery.” 1 

45. “Buddhism is convinced that if 
a man reaps sorrow, disappointment, 
pain, he himself, and no other, must at 
some time have sown folly, error, sin ; 
and if not in this life then in some 
former birth.” 3 

46. Buddha knew the thoughts of 
others: “ By directing his mind to the 
thoughts of others, he can know the 
thoughts of all beings.” 5 

47. In the Somadeva a story is re¬ 
lated of a Buddhist ascetic whose eye 
offended him, he therefore plucked it 
out, and cast it away. 7 

48. When Buddha was about to be¬ 
come an ascetic, and when riding on 
the horse “Kantako,” his path was 
strewn with flowers, thrown there by 
Devas. 9 


contain let them marry, for it is better 
to marry than to burn.” “ To avoid 
fornication, let every man have his 
own wife and let every woman have 
her own husband.” 2 

45. “ And as Jesus passed by, he 
saw a man which was blind from his 
birth. And his disciples asked him, 
saying, Master, who did sin, this man, 
or his parents, that he was bom 
blind.” 4 

46. Jesus knew the thoughts of 
others. By directing his mind to 
the thoughts of others, he knew the 
thoughts of all beings. 6 

47. It is related in the New Testa¬ 
ment that Jesus said: “ If thy right eye 
offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it 
from thee.” 8 

48. When Jesus was entering Jeru¬ 
salem, riding on an ass, his path was 
strewn with palm branches, thrown 
there by the multitude. 10 


Never were devotees of any creed or faith as fast bound in its 
thraldom as are the disciples of Gautama Buddha. For nearly two 
thousand four hundred years it has been the established religion of 
Burinah, Siam, Laos, Pega, Cambodia, Thibet, Japan, Tartary, Cey¬ 
lon and Loo-Choo, and many neighboring islands, beside about 
two-thirds of China and a large portion of Siberia ; and at the pres¬ 
ent day no inconsiderable number of the simple peasantry of 
Swedish Lapland are found among its firm adherents . 11 


1 Rhys Davids’ Buddhism, p. 138. 

2 I. Corinth, vii. 1-7. 

3 Rhys Davids’ Buddhism, p. 103. 

4 John, ix. 1, 2. 

This is the doctrine of transmigration clearly 
taught. If this man was born blind, as pun¬ 
ishment for some sin committed by him, this 
gin must have been committed in some former 
birth. 

6 Hardy : Buddhist Legends, p. 181. 

6 See the story of his conversation with the 
woman of Samaria. (John, iv. 1.) And with 
the woman who was cured of the “bloody 
issue.” (Matt. ix. 20.) 

7 Muller: Science of Religion, p. 245. 

8 Matt. v. 29. 

0 Hardy: Buddhist Legends, p. 134. 

i° Matt. xxi. 1-9. 

Bacchus rode in a triumphal procession, 
on approaching the city of Thebes. “Pan- 
theus, the king, who had no respect for the 
new worship (instituted by Bacchus) forbade 


its rites to be performed. But when it was 
known that Bacchus was advancing, men and 
women, but chiefly the latter, young and old, 
poured forth to meet him and to join his tri¬ 
umphal march. ... It was in vain Pan- 
theus remonstrated, commanded and threat¬ 
ened. ‘ Go,’ said he to his attendants, ‘ seize 
this vagabond leader of the rout and bring 
him to me. I will soon make him confess 
his false claim of heavenly parentage and re¬ 
nounce his counterfeit worship.’ ” (Bulfinch : 
Age of Fable, p. 222. Compare with Matt, 
xxvi.; Luke, xxii.; John xviii.) 

11 “ There are few names among the men of 
the West, that stand forth as saliently as 
Gotama Buddha, in the annals of the East. 
In little more than two centuries from his de¬ 
cease the system he established had spread 
throughout the whole of India, overcoming 
opposition the most formidable, and binding 
together the most discordant elements ; and 
at the present moment Buddhism is the pre- 



298 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


“Well authenticated records establish indisputably the facts, 
that together with a noble physique, superior mental endowments, 
and high moral excellence, there were found in Buddha a purity of 
life, sanctity of character, and simple integrity of purpose, that com¬ 
mended themselves to all brought under his influence. Even 
at this distant day, one cannot listen with tearless eyes to the touch¬ 
ing details of his pure, earnest life, and patient endurance under 
contradiction, often fierce persecution for those he sought to 
benefit. Altogether he seems to have been one of those remarkable 
examples, of genius and virtue occasionally met with, unaccountably 
superior to the age and nation that produced them. 

There is no reason to believe that he ever arrogated to himself 
any higher authority than that of a teacher of religion, but, as in 
modern factions , there were readily found among his followers 
those who carried his peculiar tenets much further than their 
founder. These, not content with lauding during his life-time the 
noble deeds of their teacher, exalted him, within a quarter of a 
century after his death, to a place among their deities—worshiping 
as a God one they had known only as a simple-hearted, earnest, 
truth-seeking philanthropist . * 1 

This worship was at first but the natural upgusliing of the ven¬ 
eration and love Gautama had inspired during his noble life, and 
his sorrowing disciples, mourning over the desolation his death had 
occasioned, turned for consolation to the theory that he still lived. 

Those who had known him in life cherished his name as the 
very synonym of all that was generous and good, and it required 
but a step to exalt him to divine honors ; and so it was that Gauta¬ 
ma Buddha became a God, and continues to be worshiped as such. 

For more than forty years Gautama thus dwelt among his fol¬ 
lowers, instructing them daily in the sacred law, and laying down 


vailing religion, under various modifications, 
of Tibet, Nepal, Siam, Burma, Japan, and 
South Ceylon ; and in China it has a position 
of at least equal prominence with its two 
great rivals, Confucianism and Taouism. A 
long time its influence extended throughout 
nearly three-fourths of Asia ; from the steppes 
of Tartary to the palm groves of Ceylon, and 
from the vale of Cashmere to the isles of 
Japan.” (It. Spence Hardy : Buddhist Leg. 
p. xi.) 

1 ‘'Gautama was very early regarded as 
omniscient, and absolutely sinless. His per¬ 
fect wisdom is declared by the ancient epithet 
of Samma-sambuddha, 4 the Completely En¬ 
lightened Onefound at the commencement 


of every Pali text; and at the present day, 
in Ceylon, the usual way in which Gautama 
is styled is Sarwajnan-wahanse , 4 the Venerable 
Omniscient One.’ From his perfect wisdom, 
according to Buddhist belief, his sinlessness 
would follow as a matter of course. He was 
the first, and the greatest of the Aralmts. As 
a consequence of this doctrine the belief soon 
sprang up that he could not have been, that 
he was not, born as ordinary men are ; that 
he had no earthly father; that he descended 
of his own accord into his mother’s womb 
from his throne in heaven : and that he gave 
unmistakable signs, immediately after his birth 
of his high character and of his future greatl 
ness.” (Rhys Davids’ Buddhism, p. 1G2.) 




BUDDHA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


299 


many rules for their guidance when he should he no longer with 
them . 1 

lie lived in a style the most simple and unostentatious, bore un¬ 
complainingly the weariness aud privations incident to the many 
long journeys made for the propagation of the new faith ; and per¬ 
formed countless deeds of love and mercy. 

When the time came for him to be perfected, he directed his 
followers no longer to remain together, but to go out in companies, 
and proclaim the doctrines lie had taught them, found schools and 
monasteries, build temples, and perform acts of charity, that they 
might ‘ obtain merit,’ and gain access to the blessed shade of Nigban, 
which he told them he was about to enter, and wdiere they believe 
he has now reposed more than two thousand years.” 

To the pious Buddhist it seems irreverent to speak of Gautama 
by his mere ordinary and human name, and he makes use therefore, 
of one of those numerous epithets which are used only of the Bud¬ 
dha, “ the Enlightened One.” Such are Saltya-sinha, “ the Lion of 
the Tribe of Sakya ;” Salcycc-muni , “the Sakya Sage ;” Sugata , “the 
Happy One ;” Sattha , “ the Teacher ;” Jina , “ the Conqueror;” 
Hhagavad , “ the Blessed One ;” Lolca-natha , “ the Lord of the 
AY orld ;” Sarvajna , “ the Omniscient One ;” Dharma-raja , “ the 
King of Righteousness ;” he is also called “ the Author of Happi¬ 
ness,” “ the Possessor of All,” “ the Supreme Being,” “ the Eternal 
One,” “ the Dispeller of Pain and Trouble,” “ the Guardian of the 
Universe,” “ the Emblem of Mercy,” “the Saviour of the AYorld,” 
“ the Great Physician,” “ the God among Gods,” “ the Anointed ” 
or “ the Christ,” “ the Messiah,” “ the Only-Begotten,” “ the 
Heaven-Descended Mortal,” “the AYay of Life, and of Immortal¬ 
ity,” Ac . 2 

At no time did Buddha receive his knowledge from a human 


i Gautama Buddha left behind him no writ¬ 
ten works, but the Buddhists believe that he 
composed works which his immediate disciples 
learned by heart in his life-time, and which 
were handed down by memory in their original 
state until they were committed to writing. 
This is not impossible: it is known that the 
Vedas were handed down in this manner for 
many hundreds of years, and none would now 
dispute the enormous powers of memory to 
which Indian priests and monks attained, 
when written books were not invented, or only 
used as helps to memory. Even though they 
are well acquainted with Writing, the monks 
in Ceylon do not use books in their religious 
services, but, repeat, for instance, the whole 
of the Patimokkha on Uposatha (Sabbath) 


days by heart. (See Rhys Davids’ Buddnism, 
pp. 9, 10.) 

2 Compare this with the names, titles, and 
characters given to Jesus. He is called the 
“ Deliverer,” (Acts, vii. 35); the “ First Be¬ 
gotten ” (Rev. i. 5); “God blessed forever” 
(Rom. ix. 5); the “Holy One” (Luke, iv. 34; 
Acts, iii. 14); the “ King Everlasting” (Luke, 
i. 33); “King of Kings” (Rev. xvii. 14); 
“Lamb of God” (John, i. 29,30); “Lord of 
Glory” (I. Cor. ii. 8); “Lord of Lords” (Rev. 
xvii. 14); “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 
v. 5); “Maker and Preserver of all things” 
(John, i. 3, 10; I. Cor. viii. 0; Col. i. 16); 
“ Prince of Peace ” (Isai. ix. G;; “ Redeemer,” 
“Saviour,” “Mediator,” “Word,” &c., &c. 



300 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


source, tliat is, from flesli and blood. His source was the power of 
ills divine wisdom, the spiritual power of Maya, which he already 
possessed before his incarnation. It was by this divine power, 
which is also called the a Holy Ghost,” that he became the Saviour, 
the Kung-teng, the Anointed or Messiah, to whom prophecies had 
pointed. Buddha was regarded as the supernatural light of the 
world ; and this world to which he came was his own, his posses¬ 
sion, for he is styled : “ The Lord of the World .” 1 

“ Gautama Buddha taught that all men are brothers 2 that 
charity ought to be extended to all, even to enemies; that men 
ought to love truth and hate the lie; that good works ought not be 
done openly, but rather in secret; that the dangers of riches are to 
be avoided ; that man’s highest aim ought to be purity in thought, 
word and deed, since the higher beings are pure, whose nature is 
akin to that of man .” 3 

“ Sakya-Muni healed the sick, performed miracles and taught 
his doctrines to the poor. He selected his first disciples among lay¬ 
men, and even two women, the mother and wife of his first convert, 
the sick Yasa, became his followers. He subjected himself to the 
religious obligations imposed by the recognized authorities, avoided 
strife, and illustrated his doctrines by his life .” 4 * 

It is said that eighty thousand followers of Buddha went forth 
from Hindostan, as missionaries to other lands ; and the traditions 
of various countries are full of legends concerning their benevo¬ 
lence, holiness, and miraculous power. His religion has never been 
propagated by the sword. It has been effected entirely by the in¬ 
fluence of peaceable and persevering devotees . 6 The era of the 
Siamese is the death of Buddha. In Ceylon, they date from the in¬ 
troduction of his religion into their island. It is supposed to be 
more extensively adopted than any religion that ever existed. Its 
votaries are computed at four hundred millions; more than one- 
third of the whole human race . 0 

There is much contradiction among writers concerning the date 

O 


1 Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. 41. 

2 “He joined to his gifts as a thinker a pro¬ 
phetic ardor and missionary zeal which 
prompted him to popularize his doctrine, and 
to preach to all without exception, men and 
women, high and low, ignorant and learned 
alike.” (Rhys Davids’ Buddhism, p. 53.) 

3 Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. 45. 

4 Ibid. p. 4G. 

6 “ The success of Buddhism was in great 
part due to the reverence the Buddha inspired 

by his own personal character. He practiced 
honestly what he preached enthusiastically. 


He was sincere, energetic, earnest, self-sacri¬ 
ficing, and devout. Adherents gathered in 
thousands around the person of the consistent 
preacher, and the Buddha himself became the 
real centre of Buddhism.” (Williams’ Hindu¬ 
ism, p. 102.) 

8 “ It maybe said to be the prevailing re¬ 
ligion of the world. Its adherents are estimated 
at four hundred millions , more than a third of 
the human race.” (Chambers’s Encyclo., art. 
“Buddhism.” See also, Bunsen's Angel-Mes¬ 
siah, p. 251.) 



BUDDHA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


301 


of the Buddhist religion. This confusion arises from the fact that 
there are several Buddhas , 1 objects of worship ; because the word 
is not a name, but a title, signifying an extraordinary degree of holi- 
ness. Those who have examined the subject most deeply have 
generally agreed that Buddha Sakai, from whom the religion takes 
its name, must have been a real, historical personage, who appeared 
many centuries before the time assigned for the birth of Christ 
Jesus . 2 There are many things to confirm this supposition. In 
some portions of India, his religion appears to have flourished for a 
long time side by side with that of the Brahmans. This is shown by 
the existence of many ancient temples, some of them cut in subter¬ 
ranean rock, with an immensity of labor, which it must have re¬ 
quired a long period to accomplish. In those old temples, his stat¬ 
ues represent him with hair knotted all over his head, which was a 
very ancient custom with the anchorites of Hindostan, before the 
practice of shaving the dead was introduced among their devotees . 3 
His religion is also mentioned in one of the very ancient epic 
poems of India. The severity of the persecution indicates that their 
numbers and influence had became formidable to the Brahmans, 
who had everything to fear from a sect which abolished hereditary 
priesthood, and allowed the holy of all castes to become teachers . 4 

It may be observed that in speaking of the pre-existence of Bud¬ 
dha in heaven—his birth of a virgin—the songs of the angels at 
his birth—his recognition as a divine child—his disputation with 
the doctors—his temptation in the wilderness—his transfiguration 
on the Mount—his life of preaching and working miracles—and 
finally, his ascension into heaven, we referred to Prof. Samuel Beal’s 
“ History of Buddha,” as one of our authorities. This work is 
simply a translation of the “ Fo-pen-hing ,” made by Professor Beal 
from a Chinese copy, in the “ Indian Office Library.” 


i It should be understood that the Buddha of 
this chapter, and in fact, the Buddha of this 
work, is Gautama Buddha, the Salcya Prince. 
According to Buddhist belief there have been 
many different Buddhas on earth. The names 
of twenty-four of the Buddhas who appeared 
previous to Gautama have been handed down 
to us. The Buddhavansa or “ History of the 
Buddhas,” gives the lives of all the previous 
Buddhas before commencing the account of 
Gautama himself. (See Rhys Davids 1 Budd¬ 
hism, pp. 179,180.) 

2“'lhc date usually fixed for Buddha’s 
death is 543 b. c. Whether this precise year 
for one of the greatest epochs in the religious 
history of the human race can be accepted is 
doubtful, but it is tolerably certain that Budd¬ 


hism arose in Behar and Eastern Hindustan 
about five centuries b. c.; and that it spread 
with great rapidity, not by force of arms, or 
coercion of any kind, like Muhammedanism, but 
by the sheer persuasiveness of its doctrines.” 
(Monier Williams’ Hinduism, p. 72.) 

8 “ Of the high antiquity of Buddhism there 
is much collateral as well as direct evidence- 
evidence that neither internecine nor foreign 
strife, not even religious persecution, has been 
able to destroy. . . . Witness the gigantic 
images in the caves of Elephanta, near Bombay 
and those of Lingi Sara, in the interior of 
Java, all of which are known to have been in 
existence at least four centuries prior to our 
Lord’s advent.” (The Mammoth Religion.) 

4 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 250. 



302 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Now, in regard to the antiquity of this work, we will quote the 
words of the translator in speaking on this subject. 

First, he says: 

We know that the Fo-pen-hing was translated into Chinese from Sanscrit (the 
ancient language of Hindostan) so early as the eleventh year of the reign of 
Wing-ping (Ming-ti), of the Han dynasty, i. e., 69 or 70 a. d. Wc may , there¬ 
fore, safely suppose that the original work icas in circulation in India for some time 
previous to this date.” 1 

Again, he says: 

“ There can he no doubt that the present work (i. e. the Fo-pen-hing, or Hist, 
of Buddha) contains as a woof (so to speak) some of the earliest verses (Gathas) 
in which the History of Buddha was sung, long before the work itself was penned. 

These Gathas were evidently composed in different Prakrit forms (during a 
period of disintegration) before the more modern type of Sanscrit was fixed by the 
rules of Panini, and the popular epics of the Mahabharata and the Ramiiyana.” 2 • 

Again, in speaking of the points of resemblance in the history 
of Buddha and Jesus, he says : 

“These points of agreement with the Gospel narrative naturally arouse 
curiosity and require explanation. If we could prove that they (the legends 
related of Buddha) were unknown in the East for some centuries after Christ, 
the explanation would be easy. But all the evidence we have goes to prove the 
contrary. 

It would be a natural inference that many of the events in the legend of 
Buddha were borrowed from the Apocryphal Gospels, if we were quite certain 
that these Apocryphal Gospels had not borrowed from it. How then may we 
explain the matter ? It would be better at once to say that in our present state 
of knowledge there is no complete explanation to offer.” 3 

There certainly is no “ complete explanation ” to be offered by 
one who attempts to uphold the historical accuracy of the New 
Testament. The “ Devil ” and “ Type ” theories having vanished, 
like all theories built on sand, nothing now remains for the honest 
man to do but acknowledge the truth, which is, that the history of 
Jesus of Nazareth as related in the boohs of the Neve Testament , 
is simply a copy of that of Buddha , with a mixture of mythology 
borrowed from other nations. Ernest de Bunsen almost acknowl¬ 
edges this when he says : 

“With the remarkable exception of the death of Jesus on the cross, and of 
the doctrine of atonement by vicarious suffering, which is absolutely excluded 
by Buddhism, the most ancient of the Buddhistic records known to us contain 
statements about the life and the doctrines of Gautama Buddha which cor¬ 
respond in a remarkable manner, and impossibly by mere chance, with the tra¬ 
ditions recorded in the Gospels about the life and doctrines of Jesus Christ. 
It is still more strange that these Buddhistic legends about Gautama as the Angel- 
Mcssiah refer, to a doctrine which we find only in the Epistles of Paul and in the 


1 Beal: Hist. Buddha, p. vi. 


2 Ibid. pp. x. and xi. 


3 Ibid. pp. viii., ix. and note. 




BUDDHA AND JESUS COMPARED. 


303 


fourth Gospel. This can be explained by the assumption of a common source 
of revelation ; but then the serious question must be considered, why the 
doctrine of the Angel-Messiah, supposing it to have been revealed, and which we 
find in the East and in the West, is not contained in any of the Scriptures of the 
Old Testament which can possibly have been written before the Babylonian 
Captivit} r , nor in the first three Gospels. Can the systematic keeping-back of 
essential truth be attributed to God or to man ?’ n 

Beside the work referred to above as being translated by Prof. 
Beal, there is another copy originally composed in verse. This 
was translated by the learned Ponceau, who gives it an antiquity of 
two thousand years , “ although the original treatise must be attrib¬ 
uted to an earlier date .” 1 2 

In regard to the teachings of Buddha, which correspond so strik¬ 
ingly with those of Jesus, Prof. Bliys Davids, says: 

“With regard to Gautama’s teaching we have more reliable authority than 
we have with regard to his life. It is true that none of the books of the Three 
Pitakas can at present be satisfactorily traced back before the Council of Asoka, 
held at Patna, about 250 b. c., that is to say, at least one hundred and thirty 
years after the death of the teacher ; but they undoubtedly contain a great 
deal of much older matter.” 3 * 5 

Prof. Max Muller says : 

“Between the language of Buddha and his disciples, and the language 
of Christ and his apostles, there are strange coincidences. Even some of the 
Buddhist legends and parables sound as if taken from the New Testament ; 
though ice know that many of them existed before the beginning of the Christian 
Era”* 

Just as many of the myths related of the Hindoo Saviour 
Crislina were previously current regarding some of the Yedic gods, 
so likewise, many of the myths previously current regarding the 
god Sumana , worshiped both on Adam’s peak, and at the cave of 
Dambulla, were added to the Buddha myth? Much of the legend 
which was transferred to the Buddha, had previously existed, and 
had clustered around the idea of a Chakrawarti? Thus we see 
that the legend of Christ Buddha, as with the legend of Christ 
Jesus, existed before his time? 


1 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 50. 

2 Quoted by Prof. Beal: Hist. Buddha, p. 
viii. 

3 Rhys Davids’ Buddhism, p. 8G. 

* Science of Religion, p. 243. 

5 Rhys Davids’ Buddhism. 

« Ibid. p. 184. 

“ It is surprising,” says Rhys Davids, “ that, 
like Romans worshiping Augustus, or Greeks 
adding the glow of the sun-myth to the glory 
of Alexander, the Indians should have formed 


an ideal of their Chakravarti, and transferred to 
this new ideal many of the dimly sacred and 
half understood traits of the Vedic heroes ? Is 
it surprising that the Buddhists should have 
found it edifying to recognize in their hero the 
Chakravarti of Righteousness, and that the 
story of the Buddha should be tinged with the 
coloring of these Chakravarti myths ?” ( : 

Buddhism, p. 220.) 

7 In Chapter xxxix., we shall explain the 
origin of these myths. 



304 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


We have established the fact then— and no man can produce 
better authorities —that Buddha and Buddhism, which correspond 
in such a remarkable manner with Jesus and Christianity, were 
long anterior to the Christian era. Now, as Ernest de Bunsen says, 
this remarkable similarity in the histories of the founders and their 
religion, could not possibly happen by chance. 

Whenever two religious or legendary histories of mythological 
personages resemble each other so completely as do the histories 
and teachings of Buddha and Jesus, the older must be the parent, 
and the younger the child. We must therefore conclude that, 
since the history of Buddha and Buddhism is very much older than 
that of Jesus and Christianity, the Christians are incontestably 
either sectarians or plagiarists of the religion of the Buddhists . 


CHAPTER XXX. 


THE EUCHARIST OR LORD’S SUPPER. 

We are informed by the Matthew narrator that when Jesus was 
eating his last supper with the disciples, 

“ He took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and 
said, Take, eat, this is my body. And be took the cup, and gave thanks, and 
gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the New Testa¬ 
ment, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” 1 

According to Christian belief, Jesus instituted this “/ Sacra¬ 
ment” 2 3 —as it is called—and it was observed by the primitive 
Christians, as lie had enjoined them ; but we shall find that this 
breaking of bread, and drinking of wine,— supposed, to be the body 
and blood of a god 3 —is simply another piece of Paganism imbibed 
by the Christians. 

The Eucharist was instituted many hundreds of years before 
the time assigned for the birth of Christ Jesus. Cicero, the great¬ 
est orator of Rome, and one of the most illustrious of her states¬ 
men, born in the year 106 b. c., mentions it in his works, and 
wonders at the strangeness of the rite. “ IIow can a man be so stu¬ 
pid,” says he, “ as to imagine that which he eats to be a God ?” 
There had been an esoteric meaning attached to it from the first 
establishment of the mysteries among the Pagans, and the Euchar- 
istia is one of the oldest rites of antiquity. 

The adherents of the Grand Lama in Thibet and Tartary offer 
to their god a sacrament of bread and wine? 


1 Matt: xxvi. 26. See also, Mark, xiv. 22. 

2 At the heading of the chapters named in 
the above note may be 6een the words : “ Jesus 
keepeth the Passover(and) imtituteth the Lord's 
Supper.” 

3 According to the Roman Christians, the 
Eucharist is the natural body and blood of 
Christ Jesus vere et realiter, but the Protestant 
sophistically explains away these two plain 
words verily and indeed , and by the grossest 
abuse of language, makes them to mean spirit, 
ually by grace and efficacy. “ In the sacrament 

20 


of the altar,” says the Protestant divine, “ is 
the natural body and blood of Christ vere et 
realiter, verily and indeed, if you take these 
terms f or spiritually by grace and efficacy; but 
if you mean really and indeed , so that thereby 
you would include a lively and movable body 
under the form of bread and wine, then in 
that sense it is not Christ’s body in the sacra¬ 
ment really and indeed.” 

4 See Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 203, 
and Anacalypsis, i. 232. 


305 



306 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


P. Andrada La Crozius, a Frencli missionary, and one of tlie 
first Christians who went to Nepaul and Thibet, says in his “His¬ 
tory of India 

“ Their Grand Lama celebrates a species of sacrifice with bread and wine, in 
which, after taking a small quantity himself, he distributes the rest among the 
Lamas present at this ceremony.” 1 

In certain rites both in the Indian and the Parsee religions, the 
devotees drink the juice of the Soma, or Haoma plant. They con¬ 
sider it a god as well as a plant, just as the wine of the Christian 
sacrament is considered both the juice of the grape, and the blood 
of the Redeemer. 2 Says Mr. Baring-Gould : 

“Among the ancient Hindoos, Soma was a chief deity; he is called ‘the 
Giver of Life and of health,’ the ‘ Protector,’ he who is ‘ the Guide to Immortality.’ 
He became incarnate among men, was taken by them and slain, and brayed in 
a mortar. But he rose in flame to heaven, to be the ‘ Benefactor of the World,’ 
and the ‘Mediator between God and Man.’ Through communion with him in his 
sacrifice, man, (who partook of this god), has an assurance of immortality, for by 
that sacrament he obtains union with his divinity.” 3 * * 

The ancient Egyptians —as we have seen—annually celebrated 
the Resurrection of their God and Saviour Osiris , at which time 
they commemorated his death by the Eucharist , eating the sacred 
cake, or wafer, after it had been consecrated by the priest , and be¬ 
come veritable flesh of his flesh* The bread, after sacerdotal rites, 
became mystically the body of Osiris , and, in such a manner, they 
ate their god? Bread and wine were brought to the temples by the 
worshipers, as offerings. 0 

The Therapeutes or Essenes , whom we believe to be of Bud¬ 
dhist origin, and who lived in large numbers in Egypt, also had the 
ceremony of the sacrament among them. 7 Most of them, however, 
being temperate, substituted water for wine, while others drank a 
mixture of water and wine. 

Pythagoras, the celebrated Grecian philosopher, who was born 
about the year 570 b. c., performed this ceremony of th q sacramvnt* 
He is supposed to have visited Egypt, and there availed himself of 
all such mysterious lore as the priests could be induced to impart. 
He and his followers practiced asceticism, and peculiarities of diet 
and clothing, similar to the Essenes, which has led some scholars to 


1 “ Leur grand Lama celebre line espdee de 

sacrifice avec du pain et du vin dont il prend une 
petite quantite, et distribue le reste aux Lamas 
presens a cette ceremonie.” (Quoted in Anac- 
alypsis, vol. ii. p. 118.) 

3 Viscount Amberiy’s Analysis, p. 46. 

3 Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. 

p. 401. 


4 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 1G3. 

6 See Ibid. p. 417. 

6 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 179. 

7 See Bunsen's Keys of St. Peter, p. 199 ; 
Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 60, and Lillie’s Budd¬ 
hism. p. 136. 

8 Sec Higgins • Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 60. 




THE EUCIIARIST OR LORD’S SUPPER. 


307 


believe that he instituted the order, but this is evidently not the 

case. 

The Kenite “ King of Righteousness,” Melchizedek , “ a priest 
of the Most High God,” brought out bread and wine as a sign or 
symbol of worship ; as the mystic elements of Divine presence. In 
the visible symbol of bread and wine they worshiped the invisible 
presence of the Creator of heaven and earth . 1 

To account for this, Christian divines have been much puzzled. 
The Rev. Dr. Milner says, in speaking of this passage: 

“ It was in offering up a sacrifice of bread and wine, instead of slaughtered 
animals, that Melchizedek’s sacrifice differed from the generality of those in the 
old law, and that he prefigured the sacrifice which Christ was to institute in the 
new law from the same elements. No other sense than this can be elicited from 
the Scripture as to this matter ; and accordingly the holy fathers unanimously 
adhere to this meaning.” 2 

This style of reasoning is in accord with the type theory concern¬ 
ing the Yirgm-born, Crucified and Resurrected Saviours, but it is 
not altogether satisfactory. If it had been said that the religion of 
Melchizedeh, and the religion of the Persians, were the same , there 
would be no difficulty in explaining the passage. 

Hot only were bread and wine brought forth by Melchizedek 
when he blessed Abraham, but it was offered to God and eaten be¬ 
fore him by Jethro and the elders of Israel, and some, at least, of 
the mourning Israelites broke bread and drank “ the cup of conso¬ 
lation,” in remembrance of the departed, “ to comfort them for the 
dead.” 3 

It is in the ancient religion of Persia—the religion of Mithra, 
the Mediator, the Redeemer and Saviour—that we find the nearest 
resemblance to the sacrament of the Christians, and from which it 
was evidently borrowed. Those who were initiated into the mys¬ 
teries of Mithra, or became members , took the sacrament of bread 
and wine. 4 

M. Renan, speaking of Mithraicism , says : 

“ It bad its mysterious meetings: its chapels, which bore a strong resemblance 
to little churches. It forged a very lasting bond of brotherhood between its 
initiates: it had a Eucharist, a Supper so like the Christian Mysteries, that good 
Justin Martyr, the Apologist, can find only one explanation of the apparent 
identity, namely, that Satan, in order to deceive the human race, determined to 
imitate the Christian ceremonies, and so stole them.” 5 


i See Bunsen’s Keys of St. Peter, p. 55, and 3 See Bunsen’s Angel-Mcssiah, p. 227. 

Genesis, xiv. 18, 19. 4 See King’s Gnostics and their Remains, 

3 St. Jerome says : “ Melchizedek in typo p. xxv., and Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. ii. pp. 

Christi panem et vinum obtulit: et mysterium 58, 59. 

Christianum in Salvatoris sanguine et corpore 5 Renan’s Hibbert Lectures, p. 35. 
dedicavit.” 



30S 


BIBBE MYTHS. 


The words of St. Justin, wherein he alludes to this ceremony, 
are as follows: 

“The apostles, in the commentaries written by themselves, which we call 
Gospels, have delivered down to us how that Jesus thus commanded them : He 
having taken bread, after he had given thanks , 1 said, Do this in commemoration 
of me; this is my body. And having taken a cup, and returned thanks, he said: 
This is my blood, and delivered it to them alone. Which thing indeed the evil 
spirits have taught to be done out of mimicry in the Mysteries and Initiatory 
rites of Mithra.” 2 

Again lie says: 

“Bad demons having imitated the statement of Jesus, ‘This is my Blood,’ 
taught it in the Mysteries of Mithra. For you either know, or can know, that 
bread and a cup of water (or wine) are given out in the consecrations of the 
person who is being initiated in the Mysteries of Mithra, some words being 
added.” 3 4 

Tertullian, who flourished from 193 to 220 a. d., also speaks of 
the Mithraic devotees celebrating the Eucharist.' 1 

The Eucharist of the Lord and Saviour, as the Mastf called 
Mithra, the second person in their Trinity, or their Eucharistic sac¬ 
rifice, was always made exactly and in every respect the same as 
that of the orthodox Christians, for both sometimes used water in¬ 
stead of wine, or a mixture of the two. 5 

The Christian Fathers often liken their rites to those of the 
Therapeuts (Essenes) and worshipers of Mithra. Here is Justin 
Martyr’s account of Christian initiation : 

“But we, after we have thus washed him who has been-convinced and 
assented to our teachings, bring him to the place where those who are called 
brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for 
ourselves and the illuminated person. Having ended our prayers, we salute one 
another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren 
bread and a cup of wine mixed with water. When the president has given thanks, 
and all the people have expressed their assent, those that are called by us 
deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed 
with water.” 6 


1 In the words of Mr. King : “ This ex¬ 
pression shows that the notion of blessing or 
consecrating the elements was as yet unknown 
to the Christians.” 

2 Q,noted in King’s Gnostics, p. 51, and 
Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. GO. 

3 Quoted in Dunlap's Son of the Man, p. 
120, and Monumental Christianity, p. GG. 

4 See Monumental Christianity, p. GG. and 
King’s Gnostics, p. 52, 

5 De Tinctione, de oblatione panis, et de 
imagine resurrectionis, videatur doctiss. de la 
Cerda ad ea Tcrtulliani loca ubi de hiscerebus 
agitur. Gentiles citra Christum, talia cele- 

bradant Mithriaca quae vidcbantur cum doctrind 
eucharisltz et resurrectionis et aliis ritibus 


Christianis convcnire, quae fecerunt cx indus¬ 
trial ad imitationem Christianismi: unde 
Tertulliani et Patres aiunt eos talia fccisse, 
duee diabolo, quo vult esse simia Christi, &c! 
Volunt itaque eos res suas ita comparassc, ut 
Mithrce mysteria essent eucharistice Christianai 
imago. Sic Just. Martyr (p. 93), et Tertullianus 
et Chrysostomus. In suis etiarn sacris habe- 
bant Mithriaci lavacra (quasi regenerationis) in 
quibus tingit et ipse (sc. sacerdos) quosdam 
utique credcntes et fideles suos, et expiatona 
delictorum de lavacro rcpromittit, et sic adhuc 
initiat Mi throe.” (Hyde : De Rclig. Vet. Per¬ 
sian, p. 113, in Anac., vol. ii. p. 61.) 

6 Justin : 1st Apol., c. Ivi. in Lillie’s Budd¬ 
hism, p. 13G. 





THE EUCHARIST OR LORD’S SUPPER. 


309 


In the service of Edward the Sixth of England, water is directed 
to be mixed with the wine. 1 This is a union of the two; not a 
half measure, but a double one. If it be correct to take it with 
wine, then they were right; if with water, they still were right; as 
they took both, they could not be wrong. 

The bread, used in these Pagan Mysteries, was carried in baskets , 
which practice was also adopted by the Christians. St. Jerome, 
speaking of it, says: 

“ Nothing can be richer than one who carries the body of Christ (viz.: the 
bread) in a basket made of twigs.” 2 

The Persian Magi introduced the worship of Mitlira into Rome, 
.and his mysteries were solemnized in a cave. In the process of 
initiation there, candidates w T ere also administered the sacrament of 
bread and wine , and were marked on the forehead with the sign of 
the cross. 3 

The ancient Greeks also had their “ Mysteries f wherein they 
celebrated the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The Rev. Robert 
Taylor, speaking of this, says: 

“ The Eleusinian Mysteries, or, Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, was the most 
august of all the Pagan ceremonies celebrated, more especially by the Athenians, 
every fifth year, 4 in honor of Ceres, the goddess of corn, who, in allegorical 
language, had given us her flesh to eat; as Bacchus, the god of wine, in like sense, 
had given us his blood to drink. . . . 

“From these ceremonies is derived the very name attached to our Christian 
sacrament of the Lord’s Supper,—‘ those holy Mysteries ; ’—and not one or two, 
but absolutely all and every one of the observances used in our Christian 
solemnity. Very many of our forms of expression in that solemnity are 
precisely the same as those that appertained to the Pagan rite.” 5 

Prodicus (a Greek sophist of the 5th century b. c.) says that, the 
ancients worshiped bread as Demeter (Ceres) and wine as Dionysos 
(Bacchus )therefore, when they ate the bread, and drank the wine, 
after it had been consecrated, they were doing as the Romanists 
claim to do at the present day, i. e., eating the flesh and drinking 
the blood of their god. 1 

Mosheim, the celebrated ecclesiastical historian, acknowledges 
that: 


1 Dr. Grabes’ Notes on Irenfeus, lib. v. c. 2, 
in Anac., vol. i. p. GO. 

2 Quoted in Monumental Christianity, p. 370. 

3 See Prog. Rclig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 3G9. 

“ The Divine Presence called his angel of 

mercy and said unto him : ‘ Go through the 
midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusa¬ 
lem, and set the mark of Tail (T, the headless 
cross) upon the foreheads of the men that 
sigh and that cry for all the abominations 
that are done in the midst thereof.’ ” (Bunsen : 


The Angel-Messiah, p. 303. 

4 They were celebrated every fifth year at 
Eleusis, a town of Attica, from whence their 
name. 

6 Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 212. 

6 Muller: Origin of Religion, p. 181. 

7 “ In the Bacchic Mysteries a consecrated 
cup (of wine) was handed around after supper, 
called the cup of the Agathodaemon.'" (Cousin: 
Lee. on Modn. Phil. Quoted in Isis Unveiled, 
ii. 513. See also, Dunlap’s Spirit Hist., p. 217.) 



310 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


t 

“ The profound respect that was paid to the Greek and Roman Mysteries, and 
the extraordinary sanctity that was attributed to them, induced the Christians of 
the second century, to give their religion a mystic air, in order to put it upon an 
equal footing in point of dignity, with that of the Pagans. For this purpose 
they gave the name of Mysteries to the institutions of the Gospels, and decorated 
particularly the ‘ Holy Sacrament ’ with that title ; they used the very terms 
employed in the Heathen Mysteries, and adopted some of the rites and ceremonies 
of which those renowned mysteries consisted. This imitation began in the 
eastern provinces ; but, after the time of Adrian, who first introduced the 
mysteries among the Latins, it was followed by the Christians who dwelt in the 
western part of the empire. A great part, therefore, of the service of the Church 
in this—the second—century, had a certain air of the Heathen Mysteries, and 
resembled them considerably in many particulars.” 1 


Eleusinian Mysteries and Christian Sacraments Compared. 


1. “ But as the benefit of Initiation 
was great, such as were convicted of 
witchcraft, murder, even though unin¬ 
tentional, or any other heinous crimes, 
were debarred from those mysteries.” 2 


1. “For as the benefit is great, if, 
with a true penitent heart and lively 
faith, we receive that holy sacrament, 
&c., if any be an open and notorious 
evil-liver, or hath done wrong to his 
neighbor, &c., that he presume not to 
come to the Lord’s table.” 3 


2. “At their entrance, purifying 
themselves, by washing their hands in 
holy water, they were at the same time 
admonished to present themselves with 
pure minds, without which the external 
cleanness of the body would by no 
means be accepted.” 4 

3. “The priests who officiated in 
these sacred solemnities, were called 
Hierophants, or ‘ revealers of holy 
things. ’ ” 6 


2. See the fonts of holy water at the 
entrance of every Catholic chapel in 
Christendom for the same purpose. 

“ Let us draw near with a true 
heart in full assurance of faith, having 
our hearts sprinkled from an evil con¬ 
science, and our bodies washed with 
pure water.” 5 

3. The priests who officiate at these 
Christian solemnities are supposed to 
be ‘revealers of holy things.’ 


4. The Pagan Priest dismissed their 4. The Christian priests dismiss 
congregation with these words: their congregation with these w r ords: 

“ The Lord be with you.” 1 “ The Lord be with you." 

These Eleusinian Mysteries were accompanied’with various rites, 
expressive of the purity and self-denial of the worshiper, and were 
therefore considered to be an expiation of past sins, and to place 
the initiated under the special protection of the awful and potent 
goddess who presided over them. 8 

These mysteries were, as we have said, also celebrated in honor 
of Eacchus as well as Ceres. A consecrated cup of wine was 
handed around after supper, called the “ Cup of the Agathodae- 


1 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 212, and 
Syntagma, p. 52. 

2 Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 282. 

3 Episcopal Communion Service. 

4 Bell's Pantheon, vol. i. p. 282. 


6 Hebrews, x. 22. 

6 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 213. 

7 See Ibid. 

8 Kcnrick's Egypt, vol. i. p. 471. 





TIIE EUCHARIST OR LORD’S SUPPER. 311 

inon”—tlie Good Divinity. 1 2 Throughout the whole ceremony, the 
name of the Lord was many times repeated, and his brightness or 
glory not only exhibited to the eye by the ravs which surrounded 
his name (or his monogram, i. h. s.), but was made the peculiar 
theme or subject of their triumphant exultation. 3 

The mystical wine and bread were used during the Mysteries of 
Adonis , the Lord and Saviour. 3 In fact, the communion of bread 
and wine was used in the worship of nearly every important deity. 4 

The rites of Bacchus were celebrated in the British Islands in 
heathen times, 5 6 and so were those of Mithra , which were spread 
over Gaul and Great Britain. 0 We therefore find that the ancient 
Druids offered the sacrament of bread and wine, during which 
ceremony they were dressed in white robes, 7 just as the Egyptian 
priests of Isis were in the habit of dressing, and as the priests of 
many Christian sects dress at the present day. 

Among some negro tribes in Africa there is a belief that “ on 
eating and drinking consecrated food they eat and drink the god 
himself.” 8 

The ancient Mexicans celebrated the mysterious sacrament of 
the Eucharist, called the “ most holy supper,” during which they 
ate the flesh of their god. The bread used at their Eucharist was 
made of corn meal, which they mixed with blood , instead of wine. 
This was consecrated by the priest, and given to the people, who 
ate it with humility and penitence, as the flesh of their god.* 

Lord Kingsborough, in his “ Mexican Antiquities ,” speaks of the 
ancient Mexicans as performing this sacrament; when they made 
a cake, which they called Tzoalia. The high priest blessed it in 
his manner, after which he broke it into pieces, and put it into cer¬ 
tain very clean vessels. lie then took a thorn of maguery , which 
resembles a thick needle, with which he took up with the utmost 
reverence single morsels, which he put into the mouth of each in¬ 
dividual ,, after the manner of a communion . 10 

The writer of the “Explanation of Plates of the Coclex Vati- 
canus ,”—which are copies of Mexican hieroglyphics —says : 

“ I am disposed to believe that these poor people have had the knowledge of 
our mode of communion, or of the annunciation of the gospel; or perhaps the 


1 See Dunlap’s Spirit Hist., p. 217, and Isis 
Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 513. 

2 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 214. 

3 See Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 139. 

* See Ibid. p. 513. 

5 See Myths of the British Druids, p. S9. 

6 See Dupuis : Origin of Relig. Belief, p. 

233. 


7 See Myths of the British Druids, p. 280, 
and Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 376. 

8 Herbert Spencer : Principles of Sociol¬ 
ogy, vol. i. p. 299. 

9 See Monumental Christianity, pp. 390 and 
393. ' 

10 Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 220. 



312 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


devil, most envious of the honor of God, may have led them into this supersti¬ 
tion, in order that by this ceremony he might be adored and served as Christ our 
Lord.” 1 

The Rev. Father Acosta says: 

p O'; # 

“That which is most admirable in the hatred and presumption of Satan is, 
that he hath not only counterfeited in idolatry and sacrifice, but also in certain 
ceremonies, our Sacraments, which Jesus Christ our Lord hath instituted and the 
holy Church doth use, having especially pretended to imitate in some sort the 
Sacrament of the Communion, which is the most high and divine of all others.” 

He then relates how the Mexicans and Peruvians , in certain 
ceremonies, ate the flesh of their god, and called certain morsels of 
paste, “ the flesh and bones of Vitzilipuzlti .” 

“ After putting themselves in order about these morsels and pieces of paste, 
they used certain ceremonies with singing, by means whereof they (the pieces of 
paste) were blessed and consecrated for the flesh and bones of this idol.” 2 

These facts show that the Eucharist is another piece of Pagan¬ 
ism adopted by the Christians. The story of Jesns and his disciples 
being at supper, where the Master did break bread, may be true, but 
the statement that he said, “ Do this in remembrance of me,”— 
“ this is my body,” and “ this is my blood,” was undoubtedly in¬ 
vented to give authority to the mystic ceremony, which had been 
borrowed from Paganism. 

Why should they do this in remembrance of Jesus? Provided 
he took this supper with his disciples—which the John narrator 
denies 3 —he did not do anything on that occasion new or unusual 
among Jews. To pronounce the benediction, break the bread, and 
distribute pieces thereof to the persons at table, was, and is now, a 
common usage of the Hebrews. Jesus could not have commanded 
born Jews to do in remembrance of him what they already prac¬ 
ticed, and what every religious Jew does to this day. The whole 
story is evidently a myth, as a perusal of it with the eye of a critic 
clearly demonstrates. 

The Mark narrator informs us that Jesus sent two of his dis¬ 
ciples to the city, and told them this : 

“ Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of 
water; follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of 
the house, The Master saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the 


1 Quoted in Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 
221 . 

2 Acosta : Hist. Indies, vol. ii. chs. xiii. and 
xiv. 

3 According to the “ John ” narrator, Jesus 
ate no Paschal meal, but was captured the 
evening before Passover, and was crucified 


before the feast opened. According to the 
Synoptics , Jesus partook of the Paschal sup¬ 
per, was captured the first night of the feast, 
and executed on the first day thereof, which 
was on a Friday. If the John narrator’s 
account is true, that of the Synoptics is not, or 
vice versa. 




THE EUCHARIST OR LORD’S SUPPER. 


313 


passover with my disciples ? And he will show you a large upper room fur¬ 
nished and prepared : there make ready for us. And his disciples went forth, 
and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made 
ready the passover.” 1 

The story of the passover or the last supper, seems to be intro¬ 
duced in this unusual manner to make it manifest that a divine 
power is interested in, and conducting the whole affair, parallels of 
which we find in the story of Elieser and Rebecca, where Rebecca 
is to identify herself in a manner pre-arranged by Elieser with 
God ; 2 and also in the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, 
where by God’s directions a journey is made, and the widow is 
found. 3 

It suggests itself to our mind that that this style of connecting 
a supernatural interest with human affairs was not entirely original 
with the Mark narrator. In this connection it is interesting to 
note that a man in Jerusalem should have had an unoccupied and 
■properly furnished room just at that time, when two millions of 
pilgrims sojourned in and around the city. Tlu man, it appears, 
was not distinguished either for wealth or piety, for his name is 
not mentioned; he was not present at the supper, and no further 
reference is made to him. It appears rather that the Mark nar¬ 
rator imagined an ordinary man who had a furnished room to let 
for such purposes, and would imply that Jesus knew it pro¬ 
phetically. He had only to pass in his mind from Elijah to his 
disciple Elisha, for whom the great woman of Shunem had so 
richly furnished an upper chamber, to find a like instance. 4 Why 
should not somebody have furnished also an upper chamber for the 
Messiah ? 

The Matthew narrator’s account is free from these embellish¬ 
ments, and simply runs thus : Jesus said to some of his disciples— 
the number is not given— 

“ Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My 
time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And 
the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the pass- 
over.” 5 

In this account, no pitcher, no water, no prophecy is men¬ 
tioned. 6 

It was many centuries before the genuine heathen doctrine of 
Transubstantiation —a change of the elements of the Eucharist into 


1 Mark, xiv. 13-16. 

2 Gen. xxiv. 

3 I. Kings, xvii. 8. 

4 II. Kings, iv. 8. 

5 Matt. xxvi. 18, 19. 


6 For further observations on this subject, 
see Dr. Isaac M. Wise’s “Martyrdom of Jesus 
of Nazareth,” a valuable little work, published 
at the office of the American Israelite, Cincin¬ 
nati, Ohio. 



314 


BIBLE 3IYTIIS. 


the real body and blood of Christ Jesus—became a tenet of the 
Christian faith. This greatest of mysteries was developed gradu¬ 
ally. As early as the second century, however, the seeds were 
planted, when we find Ignatius, Justin Martyr, and Irenseus ad¬ 
vancing the opinion, that the mere bread and wine became, in the 
Eucharist, something higher —the earthly, something heavenly— 
without, however, ceasing to be bread and wine. Though these 
views were opposed by some eminent individual Christian teachers, 
yet both among the people and in the ritual of the Church, the 
miraculous or supernatural view of the Lord’s Supper gained 
ground. After the third century the office of presenting the bread 
and wine came to be confined to the ministers or priests. This 
practice arose from, and in turn strengthened, the notion which was 
gaining ground, that in this act of presentation by the priest, a sac¬ 
rifice, similar to that once offered up in the death of Christ Jesus, 
though bloodless, was ever anew presented to God. This still 
deepened the feeling of mysterious significance and importance 
with which the rite of the Lord’s Supper was viewed, and led to 
that gradually increasing splendor of celebration which took the 
form of the Mass. As in Christ Jesus two distinct natures, the 
divine and the human, were wonderfully combined, so in the 
Eucharist there was a corresponding union of the earthly and the 
heavenly. 

For a long time there was no formal declaration of the mind of 
the Church on the real presence of Christ Jesus in the Eucharist. 
At length a discussion on the point was raised, and the most dis¬ 
tinguished men of the time took part in it. One party maintained 
that “ the bread and wine are, in the act of consecration, trans¬ 
formed by the omnipotence of God into the very body of Christ 
which was once born of Mary, nailed to the cross, and raised from 
the dead.” According to this conception, nothing remains of the 
bread and wine but the outward form, the taste and the smell; 
while the other party would only allow that there is some change in 
the bread and wine themselves, but granted that an actual transfor¬ 
mation of their power and efficacy takes place. 

The greater accordance of the first view with the credulity of 
the age, its love for the wonderful and magical, the interest of the 
priesthood to add lustre, in accordance with the heathens, to a rite 
which enhanced their own office, resulted in the doctrine of Tran- 
substantiation being declared an article of faith of the Christian 
Church. 

Transubstantiation, the invisible change of the bread and wine 


THE EUCHARIST OR LORD’S SUPPER. 


315 


into the body and blood of Christ, is a tenet that may defy the 
powers of argument and pleasantry; but instead of consulting the 
evidence of their senses, of their sight, their feeling, and their taste, 
the first Protestants were entangled in their own scruples, and awed 
by the reputed words of Jesus in the institution of the sacrament. 
Luther maintained a corporeal , and Calvin a real presence of Christ 
in the Eucharist; and the opinion of Zuinglius, that it is no more 
than a spiritual communion, a simple memorial, has slowly prevailed 
in the reformed churches. 

Under Edward VI. the reformation was more bold and perfect, 
but in the fundamental articles of the Church of England, a strong 
and explicit declaration against the real presence was obliterated in 
the original copy, to please the people, or the Lutherans, or Queen 
Elizabeth. At the present day, the Greek and Pom an Catholics 
alone hold to the original doctrine of the real presence. 

Of all the religious observances among heathens, Jews, or Turks, 
none has been the cause of more hatred, persecution, outrage, and 
bloodshed, than the Eucharist. Christians persecuted one another 
like relentless foes, and thousands of Jews were slaughtered on ac¬ 
count of the Eucharist and the Host. 


/ 


i 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


BAPTISM. 

Baptism, or purification from sin by water, is supposed by many 
to be an exclusive Christian ceremony. The idea is that circum¬ 
cision was given up, but baptism took its place as a compulsory form 
indispensable to salvation, and was declared to have been instituted 
by Jesus himself or by his predecessor John. 1 That Jesus was 
baptized by John may be true, or it may not, but that he never 
directly enjoined his followers to call the heathen to a share in the 
privileges of the Golden Age is gospel doctrine ; 2 and this say¬ 
ing: 

“ Go out into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature. And who¬ 
ever believes and is baptized shall be saved, but whoever believes not shall be 
damned,” 

must therefore be of comparatively late origin, dating from a period 
at which the mission to the heathen was not only fully recog¬ 
nized, but even declared to have originated with the followers of 
Jesus. 3 When the early Christians received members among them 
they were not initiated by baptism, but with prayer and laying on of 
hands. This, says Eusebius , was the “ ancient custom ,” which was 
followed until the time of Stephen. During his bishopric contro¬ 
versies arose as to whether members should be received “ after the 
ancient Christian custom ” or by baptism, 4 after the heathen cus¬ 
tom. Rev. J. P. Lundy, who has made ancient religions a special 
study, and who, being a thorough Christian writer, endeavors to get 
over the difficulty by saying that: 

“ John the Baptist simply adopted and practiced the universal custom of sacred 
bathing for the remission of sins. Christ sanctioned it; the church inherited it 
from his example.” 5 


1 The Kev. Dr. Geikie makes the assertion 
that: “With the call to repent, John united a 
significant rite for all who were willing to own 
their sins, and promise amendment of life. It 
was the new and striking requirement of bap¬ 
tism, which John had been sent by divine ap¬ 
pointment to introduce.” (Life of Christ, vol. 

31G 


i. p. 394.) 

2 See Galatians, ii. 7-9. Acts, x. and xi. 

3 See The Bible for Learners, vol. iii. pp. G58 
and 472. 

* See Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 7, ch. ii. 

6 Monumental Christianity, p. 385. 




BAPTISM. 


317 


/* 


When we say that baptism is a heathen rite adopted by the 
Christians, we come near the truth. Mr. Lundy is a strong advo¬ 
cate of the type theory—of which we shall speak anon—therefore 
- the above mode of reasoning is not to be wondered at. 

The facts in the case are that baptism by immersion, or sprink¬ 
ling in infancy, for the remission of sin , was a common rite, to be 
found in countries the most widely separated on the face of the 
earth, and the most unconnected in religious genealogy. 1 

If we turn to India we shall find that in the vast domain of the 
Buddhist faith the birth of children is regularly the occasion of a 
ceremony, at which the priest is present. In Mongolia and Thibet 
this ceremony assumes the special form of baptism . Candles 
burn and incense is offered on the domestic altar, the priest reads 
the prescribed prayers, dips the child three times in water , and im¬ 
poses on it a name? 

Brahmanism , from the very earliest times, had its initiatory 
rites, similar to what we shall find among the ancient Persians, 
Egyptians, Greeks and Bomans. Mr. Mackenzie, in his “ Royal 
Masonic Cyclopaedia,” {sub voce “ Mysteries of Hindustan,”) gives 
a capital digest of these mysteries from the “ Indische Alterthum- 
Skunde ” of Lassen. After an invocation to the sun, an oath was 
demanded of the aspirant, to the effect of implicit obedience to 
superiors, purity of body, and inviolable secrecy. Water was then 
sprinlded over him , suitable addresses were made to him, &c. 
This was supposed to constitute the regeneration of the candidate, 
and he was now invested with the white robe and the tiara. A 
peculiar cross was marked on his forehead, and the Tau cross on his 
breast. Finally, he was given the sacred word, A. U. M. 3 

The Brahmans had also a mode of baptism similar to the Chris¬ 
tian sect of Baptists, the ceremony being performed in a river. 


1 “Among all nations, and from the very- 
earliest period, water has been used as a 
species of religious sacrament. . . . Water 
was the agent by means of which everything 
was ne generated or born again. Hence, ip all 
nations, we find the Dove, or Divine Love, 
operating by means of its agent, water, and all 
nations using the ceremony of plunging, or, 
as we call it, baptizing, for the remission of 
sins, to introduce the candidate to a regen¬ 
eration, to a new birth unto righteousness.” 
(Iliggitis : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 52V.) 

“ Baptism is a very ancient rite pertaining 
to heathen religions, whether of Asia, Africa, 
Europe or America.” (Bonwick : Egyptian 
Belief, p. 416.) 

” Baptism, or purification by water, was a 


ceremony common to all religions of antiquity. 
It consists in being made clean from some sup¬ 
posed pollution or defilement.” (Bell's Pan¬ 
theon, vol. ii. p. 201.) 

“ L’usage de ce Bapteme par immersion, qui 
subsista dans l’Occident jusqu’ an 8e ciecle, se 
maintient encore dans l’Eglisc Greque : c’est 
celui que Jean le Prtcurseur administra, dans 
le Jourdain, a Jesus Christ mOme. II fut pra¬ 
tique chez les Juifs, chez les Grecs, et chez 
presque tous les penples. bien des siccles avant 
l’existence de la religion Chretienne.” (D'An- 
carville : Res., vol. i. p. 292.) 

2 See Amberly's Analysis, p. 61. Bunsen’s 
Angel-Messiah, p. 42. Higgins’ Anacalypsis, 
vol. ii. p. 69, and Lillie’s Buddhism, pp. 55 and 
134. 3 Lillie's Bi ddhism, p. 134. 



318 BIBLE MYTHS. 

The officiating Brahman priest, who was called Gooroo, or Pastor, 1 
rubbed mud on the candidate, and then plunged him three times 
into the water. During the process the priest said : 

“ O Supreme Lord, this man is impure, like the mud of this stream; but as 
water cleanses him from this dirt, do thou free him from his sin.” 2 

Bivers, as sources of fertility and purification, were at an early 
date invested with a sacred character. Every great river was sup¬ 
posed to be permeated with the divine essence, and its waters held 
to cleanse from all moral guilt and contamination. And as the 
Ganges was the most majestic, so it soon became the holiest and 
most revered of all rivers. No sin too heinous to be removed, no 
character too black to be washed clean by its waters. Hence the 
countless temples, with flights of steps, lining its banks; hence the 
array of priests, called “ Sons of the Ganges,” sitting on the edge 
of its streams, ready to aid the ablutions of conscience-stricken 
bathers, and stamp them as white-washed when they emerge from 
its waters. Hence also the constant traffic carried on in transport¬ 
ing Ganges water in small bottles to all parts of the country. 3 

The ceremony of baptism was a practice of the followers of 
Zoroaster , both for infants and adults. 

M. Beausobre tells us that: 

“ The ancient Persians carried their infants to the temple a few days after 
they were born, and presented them to the priest before the sun, and before the 
fire, which was his symbol. Then the priest took the child and baptized it for the 
purification of the soul. Sometimes he plunged it into a great vase full of water: 
it was in the same ceremony that the father gave a name to the child.” 4 

The learned Dr. Hyde also tells us that infants were brought 
to the temples and baptized by the priests, sometimes by sprinkling 
and sometimes by immersion, plunging the child into a large vase 
filled with water. This was to them a regeneration, or a purifica¬ 
tion of their souls. A name was at the same time imposed upon 
the child, as indicated by the parents. 5 


1 Life and Religion of the Hindus, p. 94. 

2 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 125. 

“ Every orthodox Hindu is perfectly per¬ 
suaded that the dirtiest water, if taken from a 
sacred stream and applied to his body, either 
externally or internally, will pin if y his soul." 

(Prof. Monier Williams : Hinduism, p. 157.) 
The Egyptians bathed in the water of the Nile ; 
the Chaldeans and Persians in the Euphrates, 
and the Hindus, as we have seen, in the Gan¬ 
ges, all of which were considered as “ sacred 
waters ” by the different nations. The Jews 
looked upon the Jordan in the same manner. 

Herodotus, speaking of the Persians’ man¬ 


ners, says : 

“They (the Persians) neither make water, 
nor spit, nor wash their hands in a river, nor 
defile the stream with urine, nor do they allow 
any one else to do so, but they pay extreme 
veneration to all rivers.” (Hist. lib. i. ch. 138.) 

3 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 176. 

4 Hist. Manichec, lib. ix. ch. vi. sect. xvi. in 
Anac., vol. ii. p. 65. See also, Dupuis : Orig. 
Relig. Belief, p. 249, and Baring-Gould : Orig. 
Relig. Belief, vol. i. p. 392. 

6 “ Pro infantibus non utuntur circumcis- 
ione, sed tantum baptismo eeu lotione ad 
animse purificationem internam. Infantem ad 





BAPTISM. 


319 


The rite of baptism was also administered to adults in the 
Mithraic mysteries during initiation. The foreheads of the ini¬ 
tiated being marked at the same time with the “sacred sign” which 
was none other than the sign of the cross. 1 The Christian 
Father Tertullian, who believed it to be the work of the devil, 
says: 

“He baptizes bis believers and followers; be promises tlie remission of sins 
at tbe sacred fount, and thus initiates them into the religion of Mithra ; he marks 
on the forehead bis own soldiers,” &c. 2 

“ lie marks on the forehead,” i. e., he marks the sign of the 
cross on their foreheads, just as priests of Christ Jesus do at the 
present day to those who are initiated into the Christian mysteries. 

Again, he says: 

“ The nations who are strangers to all spiritual powers (tbe heathens), ascribe 
to their idols (gods) tbe power of impregnating tbe waters with tbe same efficacy 
as in Christian baptism.” For, “in certain sacred rites of theirs, tbe mode of 
initiation is by baptism,” and “whoever bad defiled himself with murder, ex¬ 
piation was sought in purifying water.” 3 

He also says that: 

“The devil signed bis soldiers in tbe forehead, in imitation of the Chris¬ 
tians.” 4 

And St. Augustin says : 

“ The cross and baptism were never parted.” 5 

The ancient Egyptians performed their rite of baptism, and 
those who were initiated into the mysteries of Isis were baptized. 6 

Apulieus of Madura, in Africa, who was initiated into these 
mysteries, shows that baptism was used; that the ceremony was 
performed by the attending priest, and that purification and for¬ 
giveness of sin was the result. 7 


eacerdotem in ecclesiam adductum sistunt 
coram sole et igne, qua facta ceremonia, eun- 
dem eanctiorem existimaut. I). Lord dicit 
quod aquam ad hoc aft'eruut in cortice arboris 
Holm : ea autem arbor revera est Haum Ma- 
gorum, cujus mentionem alia occasione supra 
fecimus. Alias, aliquando fit immergendo in 
magnum vas aquae, ut dicit Tavernier. Post 
talem lotionem sen baptismum, sacerdos im- 
ponit nomen a parentibus inditum.” (Hyde de 
Bel. Vet. Pers., p. 406. Anac., vol. ii. p. 65.) 
After this Hyde goes on to say, that when he 
comes to be fifteen years of age he is con¬ 
firmed by receiving the girdle, and the sudra or 
cassock. 


1 See Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 
xxv. Higgius : Anac., vol. i. pp. 218 and 222. 
Dunlap : Mysteries of Adoni, p. 139. King: 
The Gnostics and their Remains, p. 51. 

7 Quoted by Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., 
p. xxv., note. 

3 Quoted by Lundy : Monumental Christi¬ 
anity, pp. 385 and 416. 

4 “ Mithra signat illic in frontibus milites 
suos.” (Tertul. de Prsescrip. in Anac., i. 218.) 

6 “ Semper enim cruci baptismus jungitur.” 
(Aug. Temp. Ser. ci. in Ibid.) 

6 See Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 69, and Monu¬ 
mental Christianity, p. 385. 

7 “ Sacerdos, stipatum me religiosa cohorte, 



320 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The custom of baptism in Egypt is known by the hieroglyphic 
term of “ water of purification? ’ The water so used in immer¬ 
sion absolutely cleansed the soul, and the person was said to be re¬ 
generated. 1 

They also believed in baptism after death , for it was held 
that the dead were washed from their sins by Osiris, the benefi¬ 
cent saviour, in the land of shades, and the departed are often 
represented (on the sarcophagi) kneeling before Osiris, who pours 
over them water from a pitcher. 2 

The ancient Etruscans performed the rite of baptism. In 
Tab. clxxii. Gorius gives two pictures of ancient Etruscan 
baptism by water. In the first, the youth is held in the arms 
of one priest, and another is pouring water upon his head. In 
the second, the young person is going through the same ceremony, 
kneeling on a kind of altar. At the time of its baptism the child 
was named, blessed and marked on the forehead with the sign of 
the cross? 

Baptism, or the application of water, was a rite well known 
to the Jews before the time of Christ Jesus, and was practiced 
by them when they admitted proselytes to their religion from 
heathenism. When children were baptized they received the 
sign of the cross, were anointed, and fed with milk and honey. 4 
“ It was not customary, however, among them, to baptize those 
who were converted to the Jewish religion, until after the Baby¬ 
lonish captivityE This clearly shows that they learned the rite 
from their heathen oppressors. 

Baptism was practiced by the ascetics of Buddhist origin, known 
as the Essenes? John the Baptist w r as, evidently, nothing more 
than a member of this order, with which the deserts of Syria and 
the Thebais of Egypt abounded. 

The idea that man is restrained from perfect union with God 
by his imperfection, uncleanness and sin, was implicitly believed 
by the ancient Greeks and Bomans. In Thessaly was yearly 
celebrated a great festival of cleansing. A work bearing the 
name of ‘ ‘ Museus ” was a complete ritual of purifications. The 
usual mode of purification was dipping in water (immersion), or 


deducit ad proximas balucas; et prius sneto 
lavraco traditum, prcefatus deum veniam, 
purissimS circumrorans abluit.” (Apuleius : 
Milesi, ii. citat. a Higgins : Anac., vol. ii. p. 
G9.) 

1 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 41G. Dun¬ 
lap : Mysteries Adoiii, p. 139. 

2 Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. 


p. 392. 

3 Sec Iliggins : Anac., vol. ii. pp. G7-G9. 

4 Barnes: Notes, vol. i. p. 38. Higgins: 
Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 65. 

6 Barnes : Notes, vol. i. p. 41. 
c Sec Bunsen's Angel-Messiah, p. 121, 
Gainsburgh’s Essenes, and Higgins’ Auacalyp- 
sis, vol.ii. pp. GG, 67. 




BAPTISM. 


321 


it was performed by aspersion. These sacraments were held to have 
virtue independent of the dispositions of the candidates, an opin¬ 
ion which called forth the sneer of Diogenes, the Grecian his¬ 
torian, when he saw some one undergoing baptism by aspersion.: 

“Poor wretch ! do you not see that since these sprinklings cannot repair your 
grammatical errors, they cannot repair either, the faults of your life.” 1 

And the belief that water could wash out the stains of original 
sin, led the poet Ovid (43 b. c.) to say : 

“ Ah, easy fools, to think that a whole flood 
Of water e’er can purge the stain of blood.” 

These ancient Pagans had especial gods and goddesses who pre¬ 
sided over the birth of children. The goddess Nundina took her 
name from the ninth day, on which all male children were 
sprinlded with holy water* as females were on the eighth, at 
the same time receiving their name, of which addition to the cere¬ 
monial of Christian baptism we find no mention in the Christian 
Scriptures. When all the forms of the Pagan nundination were 
duly complied with, the priest gave a certificate to the parents of 
the regenerated infant; it was, therefore, duly recognized as a 
legitimate member of the family and of society, and the day was 
spent in feasting and hilarity. 3 

Adults were also baptized; and those who were initiated in the 
sacred rites of the Bacchic mysteries were regenerated and ad¬ 
mitted by baptism, just as they were admitted into the mysteries 
of Mitlira. 4 Justin Martyr, like his brother Tertullian, claimed 
that this ablution was invented by demons, in imitation of the 
true baptism, that their votaries might also have their pretended 
purification by water. 5 

Infant Baptism was practiced among the ancient inhabitants 
of northern Europe—the Danes, Swedes, Norwegians and Icelanders 
—long before the first dawn of Christianity had reached those 
parts. Water was poured on the head of the new-born child, and 


* Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. 
p. 391. 

2 “ Holy Water ’’—water wherein the person 
is baptized, in the name of the Father, and 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Church of 
England Catechism.) 

3 See Taylor’s Diegesis, pp. 333, 334, and 
Higgins’ Anacalypsis, ii. p. 65. 

4 See Taylor’s Diegesis, pp. 80 and 232, and 
Baring-Gould’s Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. p. 
391. 

“Dela-vint, que pour devenir capable 
d’entendre les secrets de la creation, reveles 

21 


dans ces meimes mysteres, il fallut se faire 
req'enerer par l'initiation. Cette ceremonie, 
par laquelle, on apprenoit les vrais princi- 
pes de la vie , s’operoit par le moyen de 
Veau qui voit ete celui de la regeneration 
du monde. On conduisoit snr les bords 
de missus le candidat qui devoit etre initie ; 
apres l'avoir purifie avec le sel et 1’eau de 
lar mer, on repandoit de l’orge sur lui, ou 
le couronoit de fleurs, et I'Hydranos ou le 
Baptiseur le pongeoit dans le fleure.” (D’An- 
carville : Res., vol. i. p. 292. Anac., ii. p. 65.) 

6 Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 232. 



322 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


a name was given it at the same time. Baptism is expressly 
mentioned in the Ilava-mal and Higs-mal , and alluded to in other 
epic poems . 1 

The ancient Livonians (inhabitants of the three modern Baltic 
provinces of Courland, Livonia, and Esthonia), observed the same 
ceremony; which also prevailed among the ancient Germans. 
This is expressly stated in a letter which the famous Pope Gregory 
III. sent to their apostle Boniface, directing him how to act in res¬ 
pect to it . 2 

The same ceremony was performed by the ancient Druids of 
Britain . 3 

Among the New Zealanders young children were baptized. 
After the ceremony of baptism had taken place, prayers were of¬ 
fered to make the child sacred, and clean from all impurities . 4 

The ancient Mexicans baptized their children shortly after 
birth. After the relatives had assembled in the court of the parents’ 
house, the midwife placed the child’s head to the east, and prayed 
for a blessing from the Saviour Quetzacoatle, and the goddess of 
the water. The breast of the child was then touched with the 
lingers dipped in water, and the following prayer said : 

“ May it (tlie water) destroy and separate from thee all the evil that was be¬ 
ginning in thee before the beginning of the world.” 

After this the child’s body was washed with water, and all 
things that might injure him were requested to depart from him, 
“that now he may live again and be born again .” 5 

Mr. Prescott alludes to it as follows, in his “ Conquest of 
Mexico :” 8 

“The lips and bosom of the infant were sprinkled with water, and the 
Lord was implored to permit the holy drops to wash away that sin that was given 
to it before the foundation of the world, so that the child might be born anew.” 
“ This interesting rite, usually solemnized with great formality, in the presence 
of assembled friends and relations, is detailed with minuteness by Sahagun and 
by Zuazo, both of them eyewitnesses.” 

Rev. J. P. Lundy says : 

“ Now, as baptism of some kind has been the universal custom of all religious 
nations and peoples for purification and regeneration, it is not to be wondered at 
that it had found its way from high Asia, the centre of the Old World’s religion 
and civilization, into the American continent. . . . 

1 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, pp. 306, * Sir George Grey : Polynesian Mytho., p. 

313, 320, 366. Baring-Gould’s Orig. Relig. 32, in Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Belief, vol i. 
Belief, vol. i. pp. 392, 393, and Dupuis, p. 242. p. 392. 

2 Mallet: Northern Antiquities, p. 206. 6 See Viscount Amberly’s Analysis Relig. 

3 Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. Belief, p. 59. 

p. 393. Higgins : Anac., vol. ii, p. 67, and 6 Vol. i. p. 64. 

Davies : Myths of the British Druids. 




BAPTISM. 


323 


“ American priests were found in Mexico, beyond Darien, baptizing boys and 
girls a year old in the temples at the cross, pouring the water upon them from a 
small pitcher.” 1 

The water which they used was called the “ water of regen¬ 
eration.” 2 

The Rev. Father Acosta alludes to this baptism by saying: 

“ The Indians had an infinite number of other ceremonies and customs which 
resembled to the ancient law of Moses, and some to those which the Moores use, 
and some approaching near to the Law of the Gospel, as the baths or Opacuna, 
as they called them; they did wash themselves in water to cleanse themselves 
from si?i.” 3 

After speaking of “ confession which the Indians used” he 
says: 

“ When the Inca had been confessed, he made a certain bath to cleanse him¬ 
self, in a running river, saying these words: ( 1 have told my sins to the Sun (his 
god); receive them, 0 thou River, and carry them to the Sea, where they may never 
appear more .”’ 4 

lie tells us that the Mexicans also had a baptism for infants, 
which they performed with great ceremony . 5 

Baptism was also practiced in Yucatan. They administered it 
to children three years old ; and called it regeneration. 6 

The ancient Peruvians also baptized their children . 7 

History, then, records the fact that all the principal nations of 
antiquity administered the rite of baptism to their children, and to 
adults who were initiated into the sacred mysteries. The words 
“ regenerationem et impunitatem pcrjuriorum suorum ” —used by 
the heathen in this ceremony—prove that the doctrines as well as 
the outward forms were the same. The giving of a name to the 
child, the marking of him with the cross as a sign of his being a 
soldier of Christ, followed at fifteen years of age by his admission 
into the mysteries of the ceremony of confirmation , also prove that 
the two institutions are identical. But the most striking feature 
of all is the regeneration —and consequent forgiveness of sins— 
the being “ born again.” This shows that the Christian baptism 
in doctrine as well as in outward ceremony , was precisely that of the 
heathen. We have seen that it was supposed to destroy all the 
evil in him, and all things that might injure him were requested 
to depart from him. So likewise among the Christians ; the priest, 
looking upon the child, and baptizing him, was formerly accus¬ 
tomed to say: 

i Monnmental Christianity, pp. 389, 390. 4 Ibid. p. 361. 

8 Kingsborough : Mex. Antiq., vol. vi. p. 5 Ibid. p. 369. 

114. 6 Monumental Christianity, p. 390. 

3 Hist. Indies, vol. ii. p. 369. 7 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 416. 




324 


J3IBLE MYTHS. 


“I command thee, unclean spirit, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost, that thou come out and depart from this infant, whom our 
Lord Jesus Christ has vouchsafed to call to this holy baptism, to be made mem¬ 
ber of his body and of his holy congregation. And presume not hereafter to 
exercise any tyranny towards this infant, whom Christ hath bought with his 
precious blood, and by this holy baptism called to be of his flock.” 

The ancients also baptized with, fire as well as water. This is 
what is alluded to many times in the gospels; for instance, Matt, 
(iii. 11) makes John say, “I, indeed, baptize you with water; he 
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” 

The baptism by fire was in use by the Homans; it was per¬ 
formed by jumping three times through the flames of a sacred fire. 
This is still practiced in India. Even at the present day, in some 
parts of Scotland, it is a custom at the baptism of children to swing 
them in their clothes over a fire three times , saying, “ dhow, fire , 
burn this child , or never” Here is evidently a relic of the heathen 
baptism by fire. 

Christian baptism was not originally intended to be adminis¬ 
tered to unconscious infants, but to persons in full possession of their 
faculties, and responsible for their actions. Moreover, it was per¬ 
formed, as is well known, not merely by sprinkling the forehead, 
but by causing the candidate to descend naked into the water, the 
priest joining him there, and pouring the water over his head. 
The catechumen could not receive baptism until after he under¬ 
stood something of the nature of the faith he was embracing, and 
was prepared to assume its obligations. A rite more totally unfit¬ 
ted for administration to infants could hardly have been found. 
Yet such was the need that was felt for a solemn recognition by 
religion of the entrance of a child into the world, that this rite, in 
course of time, completely lost its original nature, and, as with the 
heathen, infancy took the place of maturity : sprinkling of immer¬ 
sion. But while the age and manner of baptism were altered, the 
ritual remained under the influence of the primitive idea with 
which it had been instituted. The obligations were no longer 
confined to the persons baptized, hence they must be undertaken 
for them. Thus was the Christian Church landed in the absurdity 
—unparalleled, we believe, in any other natal ceremony—of requir¬ 
ing the most solemn promises to be made, not by those who were 
thereafter to fulfill them, but by others in their name ; these bthers 
having no power to enforce their fulfillment, and neither those activ 
ally assuming the engagement, nor those on whose behalf it was as¬ 
sumed, being morally responsible in case it should be broken. Yet 
this strange incongruity was forced upon the church by an imperious 


BAPTISM. 


325 


want of human nature itself, and the insignificant sects who have 
adopted the baptism of adults only, have failed, in their zeal for 
historical consistency, to recognize a sentiment whose roots lie far 
deeper than the chronological foundation of Christian rites, and 
stretch far wider than the geographical boundaries of the Christian 
faith. 

The intention of all these forms of baptism is identical. Water, 
as the natural means of physical cleansing, is the universal symbol 
of spiritual purification. Hence immersion, or washing, or sprink¬ 
ling, implies the deliverance of the infant from the stain of original 
sin. 1 The Pagan and Christian rituals, as we have seen, are per¬ 
fectly clear on this head. In both, the avowed intention is to wash 
away the sinful nature common to humanity ; in both, the infant is 
declared to be born again by the agency of water. Among the 
early Christians, as with the Fagans, the sacrament of baptism was 
supposed to contain a full and absolute expiation of sin; and the 
soul was instantly restored to its original purity, and entitled to the 
promise of eternal salvation. Among the proselytes of Christi¬ 
anity, there were many who judged it imprudent to precipitate a 
salutary rite, which could not be repeated ; to throw away an in¬ 
estimable privilege, which could never be recovered. By the delay 
of their baptism, they could venture freely to indulge their pas¬ 
sions in the enjoyments of this world, while they still retained in 
their own hands the means of a sure and easy absolution. St. Con¬ 
stantine was one of these. 


1 That man is born in original sin seems to 
have been the belief of all nations of antiquity, 
especially the Hindus. This sense of original 
corruption is expressed in the following prayer, 
used by them: 


“ I am sinful, I commit sin, my nature is 
sinful, 1 am conceived in sin. Save me, O thou 
lotus-eyed Ileri, the remover of Sin.” (Wil¬ 
liams’ Hinduism, p. 214.) 



CHAPTER XXXII. 


THE WORSHIP OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 

\ ✓ 

The worship of the “ Virgin,” the “ Queen of Heaven,” the 
“ Great Goddess,” the “ Mother of God,” &c., which has become 
one of the grand features of the Christian religion—the Council of 
Ephesus (a. d. 431) having declared Mary “ Mother of God,” her 

assumption being declared in 813, 
and her Immaculate Conception 
by the Pope and Council in 
1851 1 2 — was almost universal, for 
ages before the birth of Jesus, 
and “ the pure virginity of the 
celestial mother was a tenet of 
faith for two thousand years be¬ 
fore the virgin now adored was 
born.” 5 

In India , they have wor¬ 
shiped, for ages, Devi , Maha- 
Devi —“ The One Great God¬ 
dess” 3 —and have temples erected 
in honor of her. 4 Gonzales states 
that among the Indians he found 
a temple “ Dariturce Virginia ”—of the Virgin about to bring 
forth. 5 

Maya , the mother of Buddha, and Devald the mother of Crishna, 
were worshiped as virgins* and represented with the infant Saviours 
in their arms, just as the virgin of the Christians is represented at 
the present day. Maya was so pure that it was impossible for God, 
man, or Asura to view her with carnal desire. Fio\ Ho. 1G is 

' O 


1 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 115, and * See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 540. 

Monumental Christianity, pp. 200 and 220. 6 See Taylor’s Dicgesis, p. 185. 

2 Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 159. 6 St. Jerome says : “ It is handed down as 

3 See Williams' Hinduism. a tradition among the Gymnosophists of India, 


















THE WORSHIP OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 


327 


a representation of the Virgin Devaki, with the infant Saviour 
Crishna, taken from Moors “Hindu Pantheon.” * 1 2 * “Ho person 
could bear to gaze upon Devaki, because of the light that in¬ 
vested her.” “ The gods, invisible to mortals, celebrated her praise 
continually from the time that Vishnu was contained in her per¬ 


son. 


»U 


5J3 


“ Crislina and his mother are almost always represented black 
and the word “ Crishna ” means “ the black.” 

The Chinese , who have had several avatars , or virgin-born gods, 
among them, have also worshiped a Virgin Mother from time im¬ 
memorial. Sir Charles Francis Davis, in his “ History of China,” 
tells us that the Chinese at Canton worshiped an idol, to which 
they gave the name of “ The Virgin.” 4 

The Rev. Joseph B. Gross, in his “Heathen Religion,” tells us 
that: 


“Upon the altars of the Chinese temples were placed, behind a screen, an 
image of Shin-moo, or the ‘ Holy Mother,' sitting with a child in her arms, in an 
alcove, with rays of glory around her head, and tapers constantly burning before 
her.” 5 

Sliin-moo is called the “ Mother Goddess,” and the “ Virgin.” 
Her child, who was exposed in his infancy, was brought up by 
poor fishermen. He became a great man, and performed wonder¬ 
ful miracles. In wealthy houses the sacred image of the “ Mother 
Goddess ” is carefully kept in a recess behind an altar, veiled with 
a silken screen. 6 

The Eev. Mr. Gutzlafi, in his “ Travels,” speaking of the Chinese 
people, says: 

“Though otherwise very reasonable men, they have always showed them¬ 
selves bigoted heathens. . . . They have every where built splendid temples, 

chiefly in honor of Ma-tsoo-po, the ‘ Queen of Heaven.' ” 7 

Isis, mother of the Egyptian Saviour, ITorus, was worshiped as 
a virgin. Nothing is more common on the religious monuments of 
Egypt than the infant Ilorus seated in the lap of his virgin mother. 
She is styled “ Our Lady,” the “ Queen of Heaven,” “ Star of the 
Sea,” “ Governess,” “ Mother of God,” “ Intercessor,” “ Iinmacu- 


that Buddha, the founder of their system was 
brought forth by a virgin from her side.” 
(Contra Jovian, bk. i. Quoted in Rhys Davids’ 
Buddhism, p. 183.) 

1 Plate 59. 

2 Monumental Christianity, p. 218. 

Of the Virgin Mary we read : “ Her face 

was shining as snow, and its brightness could 


hardly be borne. Her conversation was with 
the angels, &c.” (Nativity of Mary, Apoc.) 

3 See Ancient Faiths, i. 401. 

4 Davis’ China, vol. ii. p. 95. 

5 The Heathen Relig., p. 00. 

6 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 218. . 

7 Gutzlaft’s Voyages, p. 154. 




328 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


late Virgin,” &C.; 1 2 all of which epithets were in after years applied 
to the Virgin Mother worshiped by the Christians. 3 

“ The most common representation of Horns is being nursed on 
the knee of Isis, or suckled at her breast.” 3 In Monumental 
Christianity (Fig. 92), is to be seen a representation of “ Isis and 
Horus.” The infant Saviour is sitting on his mother’s knee, while 
she gazes into his face. A cross is on the back of the seat. The 
author, Rev. J. P. Lundy, says, in speaking of it: 

“Is this Egyptian mother, too, meditating her son’s conflict, suffering, and 
triumph, as she holds him before her and gazes into his face? And is this cross 
meant to convey the idea of life through suffering, and conflict with Typho or 
Evil?” 

In some statues and basso-relievos , when Isis appears alone, she 
is entirely veiled from head to foot, in common with nearly every 
other goddess, as a syffibol of a mother’s chastity. Ho mortal man 
hath ever lifted her veil. 

Isis was also represented standing on the crescent moon, with 
twelve stars surrounding her head. 4 In almost every Roman 
Catholic Church on the continent of Europe may be seen pictures 
and statues of Mary , the “ Queen of Heaven,” standing on the 
crescent moon, and her head surrounded with twelve stars. 

Dr. Inman, in his “ Pagan and Christian Symbolism,” gives a 
figure of the Virgin Mary, with her infant, standing on the crescent 
moon. In speaking of this figure, he says : 

“ In it the Virgin is seen as the ‘ Queen of Heaven,’ nursing her infant, and 
identified with the crescent moon. . . . Than this, nothing could more com¬ 
pletely identify the Christian mother and child, with Isis and Ilorus.” 5 6 

This crescent moon is the symbol of Isis and Juno, and is the 
Yoni of the Hindoos. 0 

The priests of Isis yearly dedicated to her a new ship (emble¬ 
matic of the Yoni), laden with the first fruits of spring. Strange 
as it may seem, the carrying in procession of ships, in which the 
Virgin Mary takes the place of the heathen goddesses, has not yet 
wholly gone out of use. 7 

Isis is also represented, with the infant Saviour in her arms, 
enclosed in a framework of the flowers of the Egyptian bean, or 
lotus. 9 The Virgin Mary is very often represented in this 
manner, as those who have studied mediaeval art well know. 


1 Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 141. 

2 See The Lily of Israel, p. 14. 

3 Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 425. 

4 -See Draper's Science and Religion, pp. 47, 

48, and Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 304. 

6 Pagan and Christian Symbolism, p. 50. 


6 See Monumental Christianity, p. 307, and 
Dr. Inman's Ancient Faiths. 

7 See Cox’s Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 119, 
note. 

8 See Pagan and Christian Symbolism, pp. 
13, 14. 




THE WORSHIP OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 


329 


Dr. Inman, describing a painting of the Virgin Mary, which is 
to be seen in the South Kensington Museum, and which is en¬ 
closed in a framework of flowers, says: 

“ It represents the Virgin and Child precisely as she used to be represented in 
Egypt, in India, in Assyria, Babylonia, Phoenicia, and Etruria.” 1 

The lotus and poppy were sacred among all Eastern nations, 
and were consecrated to the various virgins worshiped by them. 
These virgins are represented holding this plant in their hands, just 
as the Virgin, adored by the Christians, is represented at the present 
day. 2 Mr. Squire, speaking of this plant, says : 

“It is well known that the ‘ Nymphe * 

— lotus or water-lily — is held sacred 
throughout the East, and the various sects 
of that quarter of the globe represented 
their deities either decorated with its 
flowers, holding it as a sceptre, or seated 
on a lotus throne or pedestal. Lacshmi, 
the beautiful Hindoo goddess, is associ¬ 
ated with the lotus. The Egyptian Isis is 
often called the ‘Lotus -crowned,' in the 
ancient invocations. The Mexican god¬ 
dess (Jorieotl , is often represented with a 
water-plant resembling the lotus in her 
hand.” 3 

In Egyptian and Hindoo my¬ 
thology, the offspring of the virgin 
is made to bruise the head of the 
serpent, but the Romanists have given this office to the mother. Mary 
is often s«en represented standing on the serpent. Fig. 17 alludes 
to this, and to her immaculate conception, which, as we have seen, 
was declared by the Pope and council in 1851. The notion of the 
divinity of Mary was broached by some at the Council of Nice, 
and they were thence named Marianites. 

The CJiristiau Father Epiphanius accounts for the fact of the 
Egyptians worshiping a virgin and child, by declaring that the 
prophecy—“ Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son” 
—must have been revealed to them. 4 

In an ancient Christian work, called the “Chronicle of Alex¬ 
andria,” occurs the following: 



f/G. 17 


1 Pagan and Christian Symbolism, pp. 4, 5. split apricot, the pomegranate, rimmon, and 

2 See Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, the Vine, just as was the ancient Venus.” (Dr. 

pp. 45, 104, 105. Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 538.) 

“We see, in pictures, that the Virgin and 3 Serpent Symbol, p. 39. 

Child are associated in modern timc3 with the 4 Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 185. 










330 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ Watch liow Egj r pt has constructed the childbirth of a virgin, and the birth 
of her son, who was exposed in a crib to the adoration of the people.'^ 

We have another Egyptian Virgin Mother in Neitli or Nout, 
mother of “ Osiris the Saviour.” She was known as the “ Great 
Mother,” and yet “ Immaculate Virgin.” 1 2 3 M. Beauregard speaks 


of 


“The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin (Mary), who can henceforth, as 
well as the Egyptian Minerva, the mysterious Neitb, boast of having come from 
herself, and of having given birth to god.” 3 

What is known in Christian countries as “ Candlemas day,” or 
the Purification of the Virgin Mary, is of Egyptian origin. The 
feast of Candlemas was kept by the ancient Egyptians in honor of 
the goddess Neitli, and on the very day that is marked on our 
Christian almanacs as “ Candlemas day.” 4 

The ancient Chaldees believed in a^celestial virgin, who had 
purity of body, loveliness of person, and tenderness of affection; 
and who was one to whom the erring sinner could appeal with 
more chance of success than to a stern father. She was portrayed 
as a mother, although a virgin, with a child in her anns. & 

The ancient Babylonians and Assyrians worshiped a goddess 
mother, and son, who was represented in pictures and in images as 
an infant in his mother’s arms (see Fig. No. IS). Iler name was 
Mylitta , the divine son was Tammuz , the Saviour, whom we have 
seen rose from the dead. He was invested with all his father’s 
attributes and glory, and identified with him. He was worshiped 
as mediator . 6 

There was a temple at Paphos, in Cyprus, dedicated to the 
Virgin Mylitta, and was the most celebrated one in Grecian 
times. 7 

The ancient Etruscans worshiped a Virgin Mother and Son, 
who was represented in pictures and images in the arms of his 
mother. This was the goddess Nutria , to be seen in Fig. Ho. 
19. On the arm of the mother is an inscription in Etruscan 
letters. This goddess was also worshiped in Italy. Long before 
the Christian era temples and statues were erected in memory 
of her. “ To the Great Goddess Nutria,” is an inscription which 
has been found among the ruins of a temple dedicated to her. 
No doubt the Roman Church would have claimed her for a 


1 Bomvick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 143. 

2 Ibid p. 115. 

3 Quoted in Ibid. p. 115. 

4 Ibid., and Kenrick’s Egypt. 


Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 350. 

7 Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 213. 


6 Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 59. 

6 See Monumental Christianity, p. 211, and 




331 


THE WORSHIP OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 

Madonna, but most unluckily for them, she has the name 

Nutria” in Etruscan letters on her arm, after the Etruscan 
practice. 

The Egyptian Isis was also worshiped in Italy, many centuries 
before the Christian era, and all images of her, with the infant 
IIoius iii her arms, have been adopted, as we shall presently see, 
by the Christians, even though they represent her and her child 
as Hack as an Ethiopian, in the same manner as we have seen that 
Devaki and Crishna were represented. 




The children of Israel, who, as we have seen in a previous 
chapter, were idolaters of the worst kind—worshiping the 
sun, moon and stars, and offering human sacrifices to their god, 
Moloch—were also worshipers of a Virgin Mother, whom they 
styled the “ Queen of Heaven.” 

Jeremiah, who appeared in Jerusalem about the year 625 n.c., 
and who was one of the prophets and reformers, rebukes the 
Israelites for their idolatry and worship of the “ Queen of Heaven,” 
whereupon they answer him as follows : 

“As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us, in the name of the Lord, we 
will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth 
forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the Queen of Heaven, and to 
pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, 
and our 'princes, in the city of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem : for then we 
had plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. 

“But since we left off to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven, and to pour 
out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed 
by the sword and by the famine. And when we burned incense to the Queen of 








332 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make lier calces to wor¬ 
ship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men ?” 1 

The “ calces ” which were offered to the “ Queen of Heaven ” 
by the Israelites were marked with a cross , or other /Symbol of sun 
worship. 2 The ancient Egyptians also put a cross on their 
“sacred cakes.” 3 Some of the early Christians offered “sacred 
cakes” to the Virgin Mary centuries after. 4 * 

The ancient Persians worshiped the Virgin and Child. On 
the monuments of Mitlira, the Saviour, the Mediating and Redeem¬ 
ing God of the Persians, the Virgin Mother of this god is to be seen 
suckling her infant. 6 

The ancient Greeks and Romans worshiped the Virgin Mother 
and Child for centuries before the Christian era. One of these 
was Myrrha , 6 the mother of Bacchus , the Saviour, who was 
represented with the infant in her arms. She had the title of 
“Queen of Heaven.” 7 At many a Christian shrine the infant 
Saviour Bacchus may be seen reposing in the arms of his deified 
mother. The names are changed—the ideas remain as before. 8 

The Rev. Dr. Stuckley writes: 

“Diodorus says Bacchus was born of Jupiter, the Supreme God, and Ceres 
(Myrrha). Both Ceres and Proserpine were called Virgo (Virgin). The story of 
this woman being deserted by a man, and espoused by a god, has somewhat so 
exceedingly like that passage. Matt. i. 19, 20, of the blessed Virgin’s history, that 
we should wonder at it, did ice not see the parallelism infinite between the sacred and 
the profane history before us. 

“ There are many similitudes between the Virgin (Mary) and the mother of 
Bacchus (also called Mary—see note G below)—in all the old fables. Mary, or 
Miriam, St. Jerome interprets Myrrha Maris. Orpheus calls the mother of 
Bacchus a Sea Goddess (and the mother of Jesus is called ‘ Mary, Slav of the 
Sea.”y 

Thus we see that the reverend and learned Dr. Stuckley has clearly 


1 Jeremiah, xliv. 16-22. 

2 See Colenso’s Lectures, p. 297, and Bon- 
wick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 148. 

3 See the Pentateuch Examined, vol. vi. p. 
115, App., and Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 
148. 

4 See King's Gnostics, p. 91, and Monumen¬ 

tal Christianity, p. 224. 

6 See Dupuis: Origin of Itelig. Belief, p. 237. 

6 It would seem more than chance that so 

many of the virgiu mothers and goddesses of 
antiquity should have the same name. The 
mother of Bacchus was Myrrha ; the mother of 
Mercury or Hermes was Myrrha or Maia (See 
Ferguson’s Tree and Serpent Worship, p. 186, 
and Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 253); the 
mother of the Siamese Saviour—Sommona Ca- 
dom—was called Maya Maria, i. e., “ the Great 
Mary the mother of Adonis was Myrrha 


(See Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 314, and Inman’s 
Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 253); the mother of 
Buddha was Maya; now, all these names, 
whether Myrrha, Maia or Maria, are the same 
as Mary , the name of the mother of the Chris¬ 
tian Saviour. (See Inman’s Ancient Faiths, 
vol. ii. pp. 353 and 780. Also, Dunlap’s Mys¬ 
teries of Adoni, p. 124.) The month of May 
was sacred to these goddesses, so likewise is 
it sacred to the Virgin Mary at the present 
day, She was also called Myrrha and Maria, as 
well as Mary. (See Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 304, 
and Son of the Man, p. 26.) 

7 Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. pp. 303, 
304. 

8 Prof. Wilder, in “ Evolution,” June, ’77. 
Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. 

9 Stuckley : Pal. Sac. No. 1, p. 34, in Anac¬ 
alypsis, i. p. 304. 



THE WORSHIP OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 


333 


made out that the story of Mary, the “ Queen of Heaven,” the 
“ Star of the Sea,” the mother of the Lord, with her translation to 
heaven, &c., was an old story long before Jesus of Nazareth was 
born. After this Stuckley observes that the Pagan “ Queen of 
Heaven” has upon her head a crown of twelve stars. This, as we 
have observed above, is the case of the Christian “ Queen of 
Heaven ” in almost every Romish church on the continent of 
Europe. 

The goddess Cybele was another. She was equally called the 
“Queen of Heaven” and the “Mother of God.” As devotees 
now collect alms in the name of the Virgin Mary, so did they in 
ancient times in the name of Cybele. The Galli now used in the 
churches of Italy, were anciently used in the worship of Cybele 
(called Galliambus, and sang by her priests). “ Our Lady Day,” 
or the day of the Blessed Virgin of the Roman Church, was here¬ 
tofore dedicated to Cybele. 1 

Minerva , who was distinguished by the title of “ Virgin 
Queen,” 2 was extensively worshiped in ancient Greece. Among 
the innumerable temples of Greece, the most beautiful was the 
Parthenon , meaning, the Temple of the Virgin Goddess. It was 
a magnificent Doric edifice, dedicated to Minerva, the presiding 
deity of Athens. 

Juno was called the “ Virgin Queen of Heaven.” 3 She was 
represented, like Isis and Mary , standing on the crescent moon, 4 
and was considered the special protectress of women, from the 
cradle to the grave, just as Mary is considered at the present 
day. 

Diana , who had the title of “ Mother,” was nevertheless 
famed for her virginal purity. 5 She was represented, like Isis 
and Mary , with stars surrounding her head. 0 

The ancient Muscovites worshiped a sacred group, composed 
of a woman with a male child in her lap, and another standing by 
her. They had likewise another idol, called the golden heifer , 
which, says Mr. Knight, “ seems to have been the animal symbol 
of the same personage.” 7 Here we have the Virgin and infant 
Saviour, with the companion (John the Baptist), and “The Lamb 
that taketh away the sins of the world,” among the ancient Musco- 


1 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 305. 4 See Monumental Christianity, p. 308—Fig. 

2 See Bell’s Pantheon, and Knight: Ancient 144. 

Art and Mytho., p. 175. 6 See Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., pp. 

8 See Roman Antiquities, p. 73. Anacalyp- 175, 176. 

•is, vol. ii. p. 82, and Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. 6 See Montfaucon, vol. i. plate xcii. 

p. 160. 7 Knight's Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 147. 



BIBLE MYTHS. 


/ 

| 


334 


vites before the time of Christ Jesus. This goddess had also the 
title of “ Queen of Heaven. 1 2 

The ancient Germans worshiped a virgin goddess under the 
the name of TIertha , or Ostara, who was fecundated by the active 
spirit, i.e., the “ Holy Spirit. 5 ’ 3 She was represented in images 
as a woman with a child in her arms. This image was common in 
their consecrated forests, and was held peculiarly sacred. 3 The 
Christian celebration called Paster derived its name from this 
goddess. 

The ancient Scandinavians worshiped a virgin goddess called 
Disa. Mr. E. Payne Knight tells us that: 

“This goddess is delineated on the sacred drums of the Laplanders, accom¬ 
panied by a child, similar to the Horus of the Egyptians, who so often appears in 
the lap of Isis on the religious monuments of that people.” 4 

The ancient Scandinavians also worshiped the goddess 
FrWa. She was mother of “ Baldur the Good,” his father being 
Odin, the supreme god of the northern nations. It was she who 
was addressed, as Mary is at the present day, in order to obtain 
happy marriages and easy cliildbirths. The Eddas style her the 
most favorable of the goddesses. 5 

In Gaul , the ancient Druids worshiped the Virgo-Paritura as 
the “ Mother of God,” and a festival was annually celebrated in 
honor of this virgin. 6 

In the year 1747 a monument was found at Oxford, England, 
of pagan origin, on which is exhibited a female nursing an infant. 7 
Thus we see that the Virgin and Child were worshiped, in 
pagan times, from China to Britain, and, if we turn to the Hew 
World, w T e shall find the same tiling there ; for, in the words of 
Dr. Inman, “ even in Mexico the ‘ Mother and Child 5 were wor¬ 
shiped.” 8 

This mother, who had the title of “ Virgin,” and “ Queen 
of Heaven,” 9 was Chimalman, or Sochiquetzal, and the infant 
was Quetzalcoatle, the crucified Saviour. Lord Kingsborough 
says: 

“She who represented ‘Our Lady’ (among the ancient Mexicans) had her 
hair tied up in the manner in which the Indian women tie and fasten their hair. 


1 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. pp. 109, 110. 

2 See Knight’s Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 21. 

3 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 374, and 

Mallet: Northern Antiquities. 

* Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 147. 

6 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities. 

6 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. pp. 108, 

109, 259. Dupuis : Orig. Relig. Belief, p. 257. 


Celtic Druids, p. 163, and Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 
184. 

7 See Celtic Druids, p. 163, and Dupuis, p. 
237. 

8 Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 100. 

9 See Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 33, and Mex¬ 
ican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 170. 




THE WORSHIP OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 


335 


and in the knot behind was inserted a small cross, by which it was intended to 
show that she was the Most Holy.” 1 

The Mexicans had pictures of this “ Heavenly Goddess ” on 
long pieces of leather, which they rolled up. 2 

The annunciation to the Virgin Chimalman, that she should be¬ 
come the mother of the Saviour Quetzalcoatle, w T as the subject of a 
Mexican hieroglyphic, and is remarkable in more than one respect. 
She appears to be receiving a bunch of flowers from the embassador 
or angel, 3 which brings to mind the lotus, the sacred plant of 
the East, which is placed in the hands of the Pagan and Christian 
virgins. 

The 25th of March, which was celebrated throughout the 
ancient Grecian and Pom an world, in honor of “ the Mother of 
the Gods,” was appointed to the honor of the Christian “ Mother of 
God,” and is now celebrated in Catholic countries, and called 
“ Lady day.” 4 The festival of the conception of the “ Blessed Vir¬ 
gin Mary ” is also held on the very day that the festival of the 
miraculous conception of the “ Blessed Virgin Juno ” was held 
among the pagans, 5 which, says the author of the “ Perennial 
Calendar,” “ is a remarkable coincidence.” 0 It is not such a very 
“ remarkable coincidence ” after all, when we find that, even as 
early as the time of St. Gregory, Bishop of Heo-Csesarea, who 
flourished about a.d. 240-250, Pagan festivals were changed into 
Christian holidays. This saint was commended by his namesake 
of Nyssa for changing the Pagan festivals into Christian holidays, 
the better to draw the heathens to the religion of Christ. 7 

The month of May , which was dedicated to the heathen Virgin 
Mothers, is also the month of Mary, the Christian Virgin. 

How that we have seen that the worship of the Virgin and Child * 
was universal for ages before the Christian era, we shall say a few 
words on the subject of pictures and images of the Madonna—so 
called. 

The most ancient pictures and statues in Italy and other parts 
of Europe, of what are supposed to be representations of the Virgin 
Mary and the infant Jesus, are black. The infant god, in the arms 
of his black mother, his eyes and drapery white, is himself perfectly 
black. 8 

Godfrey Higgins, on whose authority we have stated the above, 
informs us that, at the time of his writing—1825-1835—images and 


1 Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 176. 

2 Ibid, 

a Ibid. 

* Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 304. 

6 Ibid. vol. ii. p. 82. 


6 Quoted in Ibid. 

7 See Middleton’s Letters from Rome, p. 
236. 

8 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 138. 



336 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


paintings of tliis kind were to be seen at the cathedral of Moulins; 
the famous chapel of u the Virgin ” at Loretto; the church of the 
Annunciation, the church of St. Lazaro, and the church of St. 
Stephens, at Genoa / St. Francis, at Pisa • the church at Brixen , 
in the Tyrol; the church at Padua ; the church of St. Theodore, 
at Munich —in the two last of which the white of the eyes and 
teeth, and the studied redness of the lips, are very observable. 1 

“ The Bambino 2 at Poine is black,” says Dr. Inman, u and 
so are the Virgin and Child at Loretto.” 3 Many more are to be 
seen in Dome, and in innumerable other places; in fact, says Mr. 
Higgins, 

“ There is scarcely an old church in Italy where some remains of the worship 

of the black Virgin , and black child , are 
not met with;” and that “pictures in 
great numbers are to be met with, where 
the white of the eyes, and of the teeth, 
and the lips a little tinged with red, 
like the black figures in the museum 
of the Indian company.” 4 

Fig. Do. 20 is a copy of the 
image of the Virgin of Loretto. 
Dr. Conyers Middleton, speaking 
of it, says: 

“ The mention of Loretto puts me 
in mind of the surprise that I was in at 
the first sight of the Holy Image, for 
its face is as black as a negro’s. But 
I soon recollected, that this very cir¬ 
cumstance of its complexion, made it 
but resemble the more exactly the old idols of Paganism.” 5 

The reason assigned by the Christian priests for the images being 
black, is that they are made so by smoke and incense, but, we may 
ask, if they became black by smoke, why is it that the white drapery, 
white teeth, and the white of the eyes have not changed in color ? 
Why are the lips of a bright red color ? Why, we may also ask, are 
the black images crowned and adorned with jewels, just as the 
images of the Hindoo and Egyptian virgins are represented ? 

When we find that the Virgin Devaki, and the Virgin Isis were 
represented just as these so-called ancient Christian idols represent 
Mary, we are led to the conclusion that they are Pagan idols adopted 
by the Christians. 

1 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 13S. 3 Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 401. 

2 Bambino— a term in art, descriptive of the * Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 138. 

swaddled figure of the Infant Saviour. a Letters from Rome, p. 84. 



Fig. 20 












337 


THE WORSHIP OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 


We may say, in the words of Mr. Lundy, “ what jewels are 
doing on the neck of this poor and lowly maid, it is not easy to say.” 1 
The crown is also foreign to early representations of the Madonna 
and Child, but not so to Devaki and Crishna, 2 and Isis and Llorus. 
The coronation of the Virgin Mary is unknown to primitive Chris¬ 
tian art, but is common in Pagan art. 3 “ It may be well,” says Mr. 
Lundy, “ to compare some of the oldest Hindoo representations of 
the subject with the Romish, and see how complete the resemblance 
is ; ” 4 and Dr. Inman says that, “ the head-dress, as put on the head 
of the Virgin Mary, is of Grecian, Egyptian, and Indian origin.” 5 

The whole secret of the fact of these early representations of the 
Virgin Mary and Jesus—so-called—being black , crowned, and cov¬ 
ered with jewels, is that they are of pre-Christian origin ; they are 
Isis and llorus , and perhaps, in some cases, Devaki and Crishna, 
baptized anew. 

The Egyptian “ Queen of Heaven ” was worshiped in Europe 
for centuries before and after the Christian Era. 6 * Temples and 
statues were also erected in honor of Isis, one of which was at 
Bologna, in Italy. 

Mr. King tells us that the Emperor Hadrian zealously strove to 
reanimate the forms of that old religion, whose spirit had long since 
passed away, and it was under his patronage that the creed of the 
Pharaohs blazed up for a moment with a bright but fictitious lustre. 1 
To this period belongs a beautiful sard, in Mr. King’s collection, 
representing Serapis 8 and Isis, with the legend : u Immaculate is Our 
Lady Isis.” 9 

Mr. King further tells us that: 

“The ‘Black Virgins’ so highly reverenced in certain French cathedrals 
during the long night of the middle ages, proved, when at last examined criti¬ 
cally, basalt figures of Isis.” 10 

And Mr. Bon wick says : 

“We may be surprised that, as Europe has Black Madonnas, Egypt had Black 


1 Monumental Christianity, p. 208. 

2 Sec Ibid. p. 220, and Moore’s Hindu Pan¬ 
theon, Inman’s Christian and Pagan Symbol¬ 
ism, Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. ii., where the 
figures of Crishna and Devaki may be seen, 
crowned, laden with jewels, and a ray of glory 
surrounding their heads. 

3 Monumental Christianity, p. 227. 

* Ibid. 

6 Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 767. 

8 In King’s Gnostics and their Remains, p. 

109, the author gives a description of a pro¬ 

cession, given during the second century by 

Apuleius, in honor of Isis , the “ Immaculate 

Lady.” 


7 King's Gnostics, p. 71. 

8 Serapis does not appear to be one of the 
native gods, or monsters, who sprung from the 
fruitful soil of Egypt. The first of the Ptolemies 
had been commanded, by a dream, to import 
the mysterious stranger from the coast of 
Pontus, where he had been long adored by the 
inhabitants of Sinope ; but his attributes and 
his reign were so imperfectly understood, that 
it became a subject of dispute, whether he 
represented the bright orb of day, or the 
gloomy monarch of the subterraneous regions.” 
(Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iii. p. 143.) 

u Ibid. 

10 Kiug’s Gnostics, p. 71, note. 


22 



338 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


images and pictures of Isis. At the same time it is a little odd that the Virgin 
Mary copies most honored should not only be Black, but have a decided Isis cast 
of feature.” 1 2 

The shrine now known as that of the “ Virgin in Amadou,” in 
France, was formerly an old Black Venus? 

“ To this we may add,” (says Dr. Inman), “ that at the Abbey of Einsiedelen, 
on Lake Zurich, the object of adoration is an old black doll, dressed in gold bro¬ 
cade, and glittering with jewels. She is called, apparently, the Virgin of the 
Swiss Mountains. My friend, Mr. Newton, also tells me that he saw, over a 
church door at Ivrea, in Italy, twenty-nine miles from Turin, the fresco of a Black 
Virgin and child, the former bearing a triple crown.” 3 

This trif>le crown is to be seen on the heads of Pagan gods and 
goddesses, especially those of the Hindoos. 

Dr. Barlow says : 

“ The doctrine of the Mother of God was of Egyptian origin. It was brought 
in along with the worship of the Madonna by Cyril (Bishop of Alexandria, and 
the Cyril of Hypatia) and the monks of Alexandria, in the fifth century. The 
earliest representations of the Madonna have quite a Greco-Egyptian character, 
and there can be little doubt that Isis nursing Horus was the origin of them 
all.” 4 

And Arthur Murphy tells us that: 

“The superstition and religious ceremonies of the Egyptians were diffused 
over Asia, Greece, and the rest of Europe. Brotier says, that inscriptions of Isis 
and Serapis (Ilorus ?) have been frequently found in Germany. . . . The mission¬ 
aries who went in the eighth and ninth centuries to propagate the Christian re¬ 
ligion in those parts, saw many images and statues of these gods.” 3 

These “ many images and statues of these gods ” were evidently 
baptized anew, given other names, and allowed to remain where 
they were. • 

In many parts of Italy are to be seen pictures of the Virgin with 
her infant in her arms, inscribed with the words: “ Deo Soli.” This 
betrays their Pagan origin. 


1 Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 141. “ Black 
is the color of the Egyptian Isis.” (The Rose- 
crucians, p. 154.) 

2 Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 159. In Monte- 

faucon, vol. i. plate xcv., may he seen a rep¬ 

resentation of a Black Venus. 


3 Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 264. 

4 Quoted in Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 
142. 

6 Notes 3 and 4 to Tacitus’ Manners of the 
Germans. 




CHAPTER XXXIII. 


* 


CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 

A thorough investigation of this subject would require a volume, 
therefore, as we can devote hut a chapter to it, it must necessarily 
be treated somewhat slightingly. 

The first of the Christian Symbols which we shall notice is the 

CROSS. 

Overwhelming historical facts show that the cross was used, as a 
religious emblem , many centuries before the Christian era, by every 
nation in the world. Bishop Colenso, speaking on this subject, 
says:— 

“From the dawn of organized Paganism in the Eastern world, to the final 
establishment of Christianity in the West, the cross was undoubtedly one of the 
commonest and most sacred of symbolical monuments. Apart from any distinc- 
' tions of social or intellectual superiority, of caste, color, nationality, or location 
in either hemisphere, it appears to have been the aboriginal possession of every 
people in antiquity. 

“Diversified forms of the symbol are delineated more or less artistically, 
according to the progress achieved in civilization at the period, on the ruined 
walls of temples and palaces, on natural rocks and sepulchral galleries, on 
the hoariest monoliths and the rudest statuary; on coins, medals, and vases of 
every description; and in not a few instances, are preserved in the architectural 
proportions of subterranean as well as superterranean structures of tumuli, as 
well as fanes. 

“Populations of essentially different culture, tastes, and pursuits—the highly- 
civilized and the semi-civilized, the settled and the nomadic—vied with each 
other in their superstitious adoration of it, and in their efforts to extend the 
knowledge of its exceptional import and virtue amongst their latest posterities. 

“ Of the several varieties of the cross still in vogue, as national and ecclesi¬ 
astical emblems, and distinguished by the familiar appellations of St. George, 
St. Andrew, the Maltese, the Greek, the Latin, &c., &c., there is not one amongst 
them the existence of which may not be traced to the remotest antiquity. They were 
the common property of the Eastern nations. 

“ That each known variety has been derived from a common source, and is 
emblematical of one and the same truth may be inferred from the fact of forms 
identically the same, whether simple or complex,.cropping out in contrary direc¬ 
tions, in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere.” 1 


1 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. vi. p. 113. 

[339] 




I 




340 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The cross has been adored in India from time immemorial, and 
was a symbol of mysterious significance in Brahmanical iconography. 
It was the symbol of the Hindoo god Agni, the “ Light of the 
World.” 1 

In the Cave of Eleplianta, over the head of the figure represented 
as destroying the infants, whence the story of Ilerod and the in¬ 
fants of Bethlehem (which was unknown to all the Jewish, Homan, 
and Grecian historians) took its origin, may be seen the Mitre, the 
Crosier, and the Cross. 2 

It is placed by Muller in the hand of Siva, Brahma, Vishnu, 
Crishna, Tvashtri and Jama. To it the worshipers of Vishnu at¬ 
tribute as many virtues as does the devout Catholic to the Christian 
cross. 3 Fra Paoliuo tells us it was used by the ancient kings of 
India as a sceptre. 4 

Two of the principal pagodas of India—Benares and Mathura— 
were erected in the forms of vast crosses. 5 The pagoda at Mathura 
was sacred to the memory of the Virgin-born and crucified Saviour 
Crishna. 6 

The cross has been an object of profound veneration among the 
Buddhists from the earliest times. One is the sacred Swastica 
(Fig. Ho. 21). It is seen in the old 
Buddhist Zodiacs, and is one of the 
symbols in the Asoka inscriptions. It 

is the sectarian mark 
of the Jains, and the 
distinctive badge of 
the sect of Xaca Ja- 
ponicus. The Vaish- 
navas of India have 
also the same sacred 
sign. 7 And, accord¬ 
ing to Arthur Lillie, 8 
44 the only Christian cross in the cata¬ 
combs is this Buddhist Swastica. ” 

The cross is adored by the follow¬ 
ers of the Lama of Thibet. 9 Fig. Ho. 22 is a representation 
of the most familiar form of Buddhist cross. The close 




1 Monumental Christianity, p. 14. 

2 Baring-Gould: Curious Myths, p. 301. 
Higgins : Anac., vol. i. p. 220. 

3 Curious Myths, p. 301. 

4 Ibid. p. 302. 

6 Maurice ; Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 


8 Ibid. vol. iii. p. 47. 

7 Curious Myths, pp. 280-282. Buddha and 
Early Buddhism, pp. 7, 9, and 22, and Anaca- 
lypsis, vol. i. p. 223. 

8 Buddha and Early Buddhism, p. 227. 

0 Inman : Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 409. 
Higgins : Anac., vol. i. p. 230. 

























CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


341 


resemblance between the ancient religion of Thibet and that 
of the Christians has been noticed by many European trav¬ 
ellers and missionaries, among whom may be mentioned Pere 
Grebillon, Pere Grueber, Horace de la Paon, D’Orville, and 
M. L’Abbe Hue. The Buddhists, and indeed all the sects of India, 
marked their followers on the head with the sign of the cross. 1 
This was undoubtedly practiced by almost all heathen nations, as 
we have seen in the chapter on the Eucharist that the initiates into 
the Heathen mysteries were marked in that manner. 

The ancient Egigptians adored the cross with the profoundest 
veneration. This sacred symbol is to be found on many of their 
ancient monuments, some of which may be seen at the present day 
in the British Museum. 2 In the museum of the London University, 
a cross upon a Calvary is to be seen upon the breast of one of the 
Egyptian mummies. 3 Many of the Egyptian images hold a cross 
in their hand. There is one now extant of the Egyptian Saviour 
Horns holding a cross in his hand, 4 * and he is represented as an in¬ 
fant sitting on his mother’s knee, with a cross on the back of the 

o * ^ 

seat they occupy. 6 

The commonest of all the Egyptian crosses, the crux ansata 
(Fig. Ho. 23) was adopted by the Christians. Thus, 
beside one of the Christian inscriptions at Phile (a 
celebrated island lying in the midst of the Nile) is 
seen both a Maltese cross and a crux ansataS In a 
painting covering the end of a church in the cemetery 
of El Khargeli, in the Great Oasis, are three of these 
crosses round the principal subject, which seems to 
have been a ligure of a saint. 7 In an inscription in a 
Christian church to the east of the Hile, in the desert, these crosses 
are also to be seen. Beside, or in the hand of, the Egyptian gods, 
this symbol is generally to be seen. When the Saviour Osiris is 
represented holding out the crux ansata to a mortal, it signifies 
that the person to whom he presents it has put off mortality, and 
entered on the life to come. 8 

The Greek cross, and the cross of St. Anthony, are also found 



Fis.Nsea 


1 See Ibid. 

2 See Celtic Druids, p. 126 ; Anacalypsis, 

vol. i. p. 217, and Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, 

pp. 216, 217 and 219. 

» Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 217. 

* Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 58. 


5 See Inman’s “Symbolism,” and Lundy's 
Monu. Christianity, Fig. 92. 

6 Baring-Gould : Curious Myths, p. 285. 

7 Hoskins’ Visit to the great Oasis, pi. xii. 
in Curious Myths, p. 286. 

* Curious Myths, p. 286. 









342 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


on Egyptian monuments. A figure of a Shari (Fig. No. 24), from 
Sir Gardner Wilkinson’s book, lias a necklace round his throat, 
from which depends a pectoral cross. A third Egyptian cross is 

that represented in Fig. No. 25, which is ap¬ 
parently intended for a Latin 
cross rising out of a heart, like 
the mediaeval emblem of “ Cor 
in Cruce , Crux in Corde: ” 
it is the hierogylpli of good¬ 
ness. 1 

It is related by the eccles¬ 
iastical historians Socrates and 
Sozomon, that when the temple of Serapis, 
at Alexandria, in Egypt, was demolished by one of the Christian 
emperors, beneath the foundation was discovered a cross. The 
words of Socrates are as follows : 

“ In the temple of Serapis, now overthrown and rifled throughout, there were 
found engraven in tl^e stones certain letters . . . resembling the form of the 

cross. The which when both Christians and Ethnics beheld, every one applied 
to his proper religion. The Christians affirmed that the cross was a sign or 
token of the passion of Christ, and the proper cognizance of their profession. 
The Ethnics avouched that therein -teas contained something in common, belonging 
as well to Serapis as to Christ. ” 2 

It should be remembered, in connection with this, that the 
Emperor Hadrian saw no difference between the worshipers of 
Serapis and the worshipers of Christ Jesus. In a letter to the Con¬ 
sul Servanus he says : 

“ There are there (in Egypt) Christians who worship Serapis, and devoted to 
Serapis are those who call themselves ‘ Bishops of Christ.’ ” 3 

The ancient Egyptians were in the habit of putting a cross on 
their sacred cakes, just as the Christians of the present day do on 
Good Friday. 4 * The plan of the chamber of some Egyptian sepul¬ 
chres has the form of a cross, 6 and the cross was worn by Egyptian 
ladies as an ornament, in precisely the same manner as Christian 
ladies wear it at the present day. 6 

The ancient Babylonians honored the cross as a religious symbol. 
It is to be found on their oldest monuments. Ann, a deity who 
stood at the head of the Babylonian mythology, had a cross for his 


i r— , rr~~ 



FigN?Z5 



1 Curious Myths, p. 287. 4 See Colenso's Pentateuch Examined, vol. 

3 Socrates : Eccl, Hist., lib. v. ch. xvii. vi. p. 115. 

s Quoted by Rev. Ur. Giles : Hebrew and 6 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 12. 

Christian Records, vol. ii. p. 86, and Rev. Robert e ibid. p. 219. 

Taylor: Diegesis, p. 202. 












CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


343 


sign or symbol. 1 2 It is also tlie symobl of tlie Babylonian god Bal. 8 A 
cross hangs on the breast of Tiglath Pileser, in the colossal tablet 
from Himroud, now in the British Museum. Another king, from 
the ruins of Ninevah, wears a Maltese cross on his bosom. And 
another, from the hall of Hisroch, carries an emblematic necklace, 
to which a Maltese cross is attached. 3 The most common of crosses, 
the crux ansata (Fig. Ho. 21) was also a sacred symbol among the 
Babylonians. It occurs repeatedly on their cylinders, bricks and 
gems. 4 

The ensigns and standards carried by the Persians during their 
wars with Alexander the Great (b. c. 335), were made in the form 
of a cross—as we shall presently see was the style of the ancient 
Roman standards—and representations of these cross-standards have 
been handed down to the present day. 

Sir Robert Ker Porter, in his very valuable work entitled : 
“ Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, and Ancient Babylonia,” 4 
shows the representation of a bas-relief , of very ancient antiquity, 
which he found at Hashi-Roustam, or the Mountain of Sepulchres. 
It represents a combat between two horsemen—Baharam-Gour, one 
of the old Persian kings, and a Tartar prince. Baharam-Gour is in 
the act of charging his opponent with a spear, and behind him, 
scarcely visible, appears an almost effaced form, which must have 
been his standard-bearer, as the ensign is very plainly to be seen. 
This ensign is a cross. There is another representation of the same 
subject to be seen in a bas-relief , which shows the standard-bearer 
and his cross ensign very plainly.® This bas-relief belongs to a 
period when the Arsacedian kings governed Persia, 7 which was 
within a century after the time of Alexander, and consequently 
more than two centuries b. c. 

Sir Robert also found at this place, sculptures cut in the solid 
rock, which are in the form of crosses. These belong to the early 
race of Persian monarchs, whose dynasty terminated under the sword 
of Alexander the Great. 8 At the foot of Mount Hakshi-Rajab, 
he also found bas-reliefs , among which were two figures carrying 
a cross-standard. Fig. Ho. 20 is a representation of this. 9 It is 
coeval with the sculptures found at Hashi-Roustam, 10 and therefore 
belongs to a period before the time of Alexander’s invasion. 

The cross is represented frequently and prominently on the coins 


1 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 218, and 
Smith’s Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 54. 

2 Egyptian Belief, p. 218. 

3 Bonomi : Ninevah and Its Palaces, in 

Carious Myths, p. 287. 

* Curious Myths, p. 287. 


8 Vol. i. p. 337, pi. xx. 

6 Travels in Persia, vol. i. p. 545, pi. xxi. 

7 Ibid. p. 529, and pi. xvi. 

8 Ibid., and pi. xvii. 

8 Ibid. pi. xxvii. 

10 Ibid. p. 573. 




344 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


of Asia Minor. Several have a ram or lamb on one side, and a cross 
on the other. 1 On some of the early coins of the Plienicians, the 
cross is found attached to a chaplet of beads placed in a circle, so as 

to form a complete rosary, such as the 
Lamas of Thibet and China, the Hin¬ 
doos, and the Iioman Catholics, now 
tell over while they pray. 2 On a 
Phenician medal, found in the ruins 
of Citium, in Cyprus, and printed in 
Dr. Clark’s “ Travels ” (vol. ii. c. xi.), 
are engraved a cross, a rosary, and a 
lamb. 3 This is the “ Lamb of God 
who taketli away the sins of the 
world.” 

The ancient Etruscans revered the 
cross as a religious emblem. This 
sacred sign, accompanied with the 
heart, is to be seen on their monu¬ 
ments. Fig. Ho. 27, taken from the work of Gorrio (Tab. xxxv.), 
shows an ancient tomb with angels and the cross thereon. It 
would answer perfectly for a Chris¬ 
tian cemetery. 





The cross was adored by the 
ancient Greeks and Homans for 
centuries before the Augustan era. An ancient inscription in 
Thessaly is accompanied by a Calvary cross (Fig. Ho. 28); and 
Greek crosses of equal arms adorn the tomb of Midas (one of the 
ancient kings), in Phrygia. 4 


1 Curious Myths, p. 290. 3 See Illustration in Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 

2 Knight: Anct. Ait and Mytho., p. 31. 224. 

4 Baring-Gould : Curious Myths, p. 291. 


































































CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


345 


The adoration of the cross by the Romans is spoken of by the 
Christian Father Minutius Felix, when denying the charge of idol¬ 
atry which was made against his sect. 


“ As for the adoration of cross,” (says he to the Romans), “which you object 
against us, I must tell you tjiat we neither adore crosses nor desire them. You 
it. is, ye Pagans, who worship w T ooden gods, who are the most likely people to 
adore wooden crosses, as being part of the same substance with your deities. 
For what else are your ensigns, flags, and standards, but crosses, gilt and beauti¬ 
ful. Your victorious trophies not only represent a cross, but a cross with a man 
upon it.” 1 


The principal silver coin among the Romans, called the cle- ' 
narius , had on one side a personification of Rome as a warrior with 
a helmet, and on the reverse, a chariot drawn by four horses. The 
driver had a cross-standard in one hand. This is a representation of 
a denarius of the earliest kind, which was first coined 29G b. c. 2 
The cross \tfhs used on the roll of the Roman soldiery as the sign of 
life . 3 

But, long before the Romans, long before the Etruscans, there 
lived in the plains of Northern Italy a people to whom the cross was a 
religious symbol, the sign beneath which they laid their dead to rest; 
a people of whom history tells nothing, knowing not their name ; 
but of whom antiquarian research has learned this, that they lived 
in ignorance of the arts of civilization, that they dwelt in villages 
built on platforms over lakes, and that they trusted to the cross to 
guard, and may be to revive, their loved ones whom they committed 
to the dust. 


The examination of the tombs of Golasecca proves, in a most 
convincing, positive, and precise manner that which the terramares 
of Emilia had only indicated, but which had been confirmed by the 
cemetery of Villanova, that above a thousand years b. c., the cross 
was already a religious emblem of frequent employment. 4 


“It is more than a coincidence,” (says the Rev. S. Baring-Gould), “that 
Osiris by the cross should give life eternal to the spirits of the just; that with 
the cross Thor should smite the head of the great Serpent, and bring to life those 
who were slain; that beneath the cross the Muysca mothers should lay their 
babes, trusting to that sign to secure them from the power of evil spirits; that 
with that symbol to protect them, the ancient people of Northern Italy should 
lay them down in the dust.” 5 

The cross was also found among the ruins of Pompeii. 0 
It was a sacred emblem among the ancient Scandinavians. 


1 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 198. 3 Curious Myths, p. 291. 

2 See Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “Dena- 4 Ibid. pp. 291 and 290. 

rius.” 6 Ibid. p. 311. 

6 The Pentateuch Examiued, vol. vi. p. 115. 



346 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“It occurs ” (says Mr. R. Payne Kniglit), “on many Runic monuments 
found in Sweden and Denmark, which are of an age long anterior to the ap¬ 
proach of Christianity to those countries, and, probably, to its appealance in 
the world.” 1 

Their god Thor, son of the Supreme god Odin, and the goddess 
Freyga, had the hammer for his symbol. It was with this hammer 
that Thor crushed the head of the great Mitgard serpent, that he 
destroyed the giants, that he restored the dead goats to life, which 
drew his car, that he consecrated the pyre of Baldur. This hammer 
was a cross. 2 

The cross of Thor is still used in Iceland as a magical sign in 
connection with storms of wind and rain. 

King Olaf, Longfellow tells us, when keeping Christmas at 
Drontheim: 

“ O’er his drinking-horn, the sign 
He made of the Cross Divine, 

And he drank, and mutter’d his prayers; 

But the Berserks evermore 

Made the sign of the hammer of Thor 

Over theirs.” 

Actually, they both made the same symbol. 

This we are told by Snorro Sturleson, in the Heimskringla 
(Saga iv. c. 18), when he describes the sacrifice at Lade, at which 
King Ilakon, Athelstans foster-son, was present: 

“Now when the first full goblet was filled, Earl Sigurd spoke some words 
over it, and blessed it in Odin’s name, and drank to the king out of the horn; 
and the king then took it, and made the sign of the cross over it. Then said 
Kaare of Greyting, ‘ What does the king mean by doing so? will he not sacri¬ 
fice?’ But Earl Sigurd replied, ‘The King is doing what all of you do who 
trust in your power and strength; for he is blessing the full goblet in the name 
of Thor, by making the sign of hammer over it before he drinks it.” 3 

The cross was also u sacred emblem among the Laplanders. 
“ In solemn sacrifices, all the Lapland idols were marked with it 
from the blood of the victims.” 4 

It was adored by the ancient Druids of Britain, and is to be 
seen on the so-called “ fire towers ” of Ireland and Scotland. The 
“ consecrated trees ” of the Druids had a cross beam attached to 
them, making the figure of a cross. On several of the most curious 
and most ancient monuments of Britain, the cross is to be seen, evi¬ 
dently cut thereon by the Druids. Many large stones throughout 
Ireland have these Druid crosses cut in them. 5 


1 Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 30. 

2 Curious Myths, pp. 280, 281. 

« Ibid. pp. 281, 282. 


4 Knight: Ancient Art and Mytho., p. 30. 
6 See Celtic Druids, pp. 126, 130, 131. 



CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


347 


Cleland observes, in liis “ Attempt to Revive Celtic Literature,” 
that the Druids taught the doctrine of an overruling providence, and 
the immortality of the soul : that they had also their Lent, their 
Purgatory, their Paradise, their Hell, their Sanctuaries, and the 
similitude of the May-pole inform to the cross . 1 * 

“ In the Island of I-com-kill, at the monastery of the Culdees, 
at the time of the Reformation, there were three hundred and sixty 
crosses.”' The Caaba at Mecca was surrounded by three hundred 
and sixty crosses . 3 This number has nothing whatever to do with 
Christianity, but is to be found everywhere among the ancients. 
It represents the number of days of the ancient year . 4 

When the Spanish missionaries first set foot upon the soil of 
America , in the fifteenth century, they were amazed to find that 
the cross was as devoutly worshiped by the red Indians as by them¬ 
selves. The hallowed symbol challenged their attention on every 
hand, and in almost every variety of form. And, what is still more 
remarkable, the cross was not only associated with other objects cor¬ 
responding in every particular with those delineated on Babylonian 
monuments ; but it was also distinguished by the Catholic appella¬ 
tions, “the tree of subsistence,” “the wood of health,” “the emblem 
of life,” &c . 5 

When the Spanish missionaries found that the cross was no new 
object of veneration to the red men, they were in doubt whether to 
ascribe the fact to the pious labors of St. Thomas, whom they thought 
might have found his way to America, or the sacrilegious subtlety 
of Satan. It was the central object in the great temple of Coza- 
mel, and is still preserved on the bas-reliefs of the ruined city of 
Palenque. From time immemorial it had received the prayers 
and sacrifices of the Aztecs and Toltecs, and was susj>ended as an 
august emblem from the walls of temples in Popogan and Cundin- 
amarca . 8 

The ruined city of Palenque is in the depths of the forests of 
Central America. It was not inhabited at the time of the conquest 
of Mexico by the Spaniards. They discovered the temples and pal¬ 
aces of Chiapa, but of Palenque they knew nothing. According to 
tradition it was founded by Yotan in the ninth century before the, 
Christian era. The principal building in this ruined city is the 
palace. A noble tower rises above the courtyard in the centre. In 


i Cleland, p. 102, in Anac.. i. p. 716. 

3 Celtic Druids, p. 242, and Chambers’s 
Encvclo., art. “ Cross.” 

3 Ibid. 


4 See Maurice : Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. 
103. 

6 The Pentateuch Examined, vol. vi. p. 
114. 

6 Brinton : Myths of the New World, p. 03. 



348 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


this building are several small temples or chapels, with altars stand¬ 
ing. At the back of one of these altars is a slab of gypsum, on 
which are sculptured two figures, one on each side of a cross (Fig. 
No. 29). The cross is surrounded with rich feather-work, and orna¬ 
mental chains. 1 “ The style of scripture,” says Mr. Baring-G ould, 
“and the accompanying hieroglyphic inscriptions, leave no room 
for doubting it to be a heathen representation.” 2 

The same cross is represented on old pre-Mexican MSS., as in 
the Dresden Codex, and that in the possession of Herr Fejervary, at 

the end of which is a colossal cross, in 
the midst of which is represented a bleed¬ 
ing deity, and figures stand round a Tau 
cross, upon which is perched the sacred 
bird. 3 

The cross was also used in the north 
of Mexico. It occurs among the Mix- 
tecas and in Queredaro. Siguenza speaks 
of an Indian cross which was found in 
the cave of Mixteca Baja. Among the 
ruins on the island of Zaputero, in Lake 
Nicaragua, were also found old crosses 
reverenced by the Indians. White marble 
crosses were found on the island of St. 
Ulloa, on its discovery. In the state of 
Oaxaca, the Spaniards found that wooden crosses were erected 
as sacred symbols, so also in Aguatoleo, and among the Zapa- 
tecas. The cross was venerated as far as Florida on one side, and 
Cibola on the other. In South America, the same sign was consid¬ 
ered symbolical and sacred. It was revered in Paraguay. In Peru 
the Incas honored a cross made out of a single piece of jasper; it 
was an emblem belonging to a former civilization. 4 

Among the Muyscas at Cumana the cross was regarded with 
devotion, and was believed to be endowed with power to drive away 
evil spirits; consequently new-born children were placed under the 
sign. 6 

The Toltecs said that their national deity Quetzalcoatle—whom 
we have found to be a virgin-born and crucified Saviour—had intro- 



Fig. 29. 


1 Stephens : Central America, vol. ii. p. 346, 
in Curious Myths, p. 298. 

2 Curious Myths, p. 298. 

3 Klemin Kulturgeschiclite, v. 142, in Curi¬ 


ous Myths, pp. 298, 299. 

4 Curious Myths, p. 299. 

6 Muller : Geschichte der Amerikanischen 
Urreligionen, in Ibid. 

























CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


349 


duced tlie sign and ritual of tlie cross, and it was called tlie “ Tree 
of Nutriment,” or “ Tree of Life.” 1 

Malcom, in his “ Antiquities of Britain,” says . 

“ Gomara tells that St. Andrew’s cross, which is the same with that of Bur¬ 
gundy, was in great veneration among the Cumas, in South America, and that 
they fortified themselves with the cross against the incursions of evil spirits, and 
were in use to put them upon new-horn infants; which thing very justly deserves 
gdmiration .” 2 

Felix Cabrara, in liis “ Description of the Ancient City of 
Mexico,” says: 

“The adoration of the cross has been more general in the world, than that 
of any other emblem. It is to be found in the ruins of the tine city of Mexico, 
near Palenque, where there are many examples of it among the hieroglyphics on 
the buildings .” 3 

In “ Chambers’s Encyclopaedia ” we find the following: 

“ It appears that the sign of the cross was in use as an emblem, having certain 
religious and mystic meanings attached to it, long before the Christian era ; and the 
Spanish conquerors were astonished to find it an object of religious veneration 
among tne nations of Central and South America .” 4 * 

Lord Kingsborough, in his “ Antiquities of Mexico,” speaks of 
crosses being found in Mexico, Peru, and Yucatan. 6 Lie also informs 
us that the banner of Montezuma was a cross, and that the historical 
paintings of the “ Codex Vaticanus ” represent him carrying a cross 
as his banner. 6 

A very fine and highly polished marble cross which was taken 
from the Incas, was placed in the Boman Catholic cathedral at 
Cuzco. 7 

Few cases have been more powerful in producing mistakes in 
ancient history, than the idea, hastily taken by Christians in all ages, 
that every monument of antiquity marked with a cross, or with any 
of those symbols which they conceived to be monograms of their god, 
was of Christian origin. The early Christians did not adopt it as 
one of their symbols; it was not until Christianity began to be pa¬ 
ganized that it became a Christian monogram, and even then it was 
not the cross as we know it to-day. “ It is not until the middle 
of the fifth century that the pure form of the cross emerges to 
light.” 9 The cross of Constantine was nothing more than the % , 
the monogram of Osiris, and afterwards of Christ. 9 This is seen 


1 Curious Myths, p. 301. 

2 Quoted in Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 30. 

3 Quoted in Celtic Druids, p. 131. 

* Chambers's Encyclo., art. “Cross.” 

3 Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. pp. 163, 180. 

6 Ibid. p. 1T9. 


7 Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 32. 

8 Jameson’s Hist, of Our Lord in Art, vol. 
ii. p. 318. 

9 “ These two letters in the old Samaritan, 
as found on coins, stand, the first for 400, the 
second for 200=-000. This is the staff of Osiris. 





350 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


from tlie fact that the “ Labarum or sacred banner of Constantine 
—on which was placed the sign by which lie was to conquer—was 
inscribed with this sacred monogram. Fig. No. 30 is a representa¬ 
tion of the Labarum, taken from Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible. 
The author of “ The History of Our Lord in Art ” says: 

“ It would be difficult to prove that the cross of Constantine was of the simple 
construction as now understood. As regards the Labarum, the coins of the 
time, in which it is expressly set forth, proves that the so-called cross upon it was 
nothing else than the same ever-recurring monogram of Christ .” 1 


Now, this so-called monogram of Christ, 
like everything else called Christian, is of 
Pagan origin. It was the monogram of the 
Egyptian Saviour, Osiris, and also of Jupi¬ 
ter Ammon. 2 As M. Basnage remarks in 
his Hist, de Juif ;* 

“Nothing can be more opposite to Jesus Christ, 
than the Oracle of Jupiter Ammon. And yet the same 
cipher served the false god as well as the true one ; 
for we see a medal of Ptolemy, King of Cyrene, 
having an eagle carrying a thunderbolt, with the 
monogram of Christ to signify the Oracle of Jupiter 
Ammon." 

Bev. J. P. Lundy says : 

“ Even the P.X., which I had thought, to be ex¬ 
clusively Christian, are to be found in combination 

thus: (just as the early Christians used it), on 

coins of the Ptolemies, and on those of Herod the 
Great, struck forty years before our era, together with 
this other form, so often seen on the early Christian 

monuments, viz.: ^ .” 4 

This monogram is also to be found on the coins of Decius, a Pa¬ 
gan Roman emperor, who ruled during the commencement of the 
third century. 6 

Another form of the same monogram is a and X H. The 
monogram of the Sun was ^ • P- H. All these are now called mono¬ 
grams of Christ, and are to be met with in great numbers in almost 



Fig N?30. 


It is also the monogram of Osiris, and has 
been adopted by the Christians, and is to be 
seen in the churches in Italy in thousands of 
places. See Basuage (lib. iii. c. xxxiii.), where 
several other instances of this kind may be 
found. In Addison’s ‘ Travels in Italy-’ there 
is an account of a medal, at Rome, of Con- 
stantius, with this inscription; In hoc signo 


Victor eris (Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 222.) 

1 Hist, of Our Lord in Art, vol. ii. p. 316. 

2 See Celtic Druids, p. 127, and Bonwick’e 
Egyptian Belief, p. 218. 

8 Bk. iii. c. xxiii. in Anac., i. p. 219. 

4 Monumental Christianity, p. 125. 

5 See Celtic Druids, pp. 127, 128. 















CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


351 


every clmrcli in Italy. 1 2 The monogram of Mercury was a cross.* 
The monogram of the Egyptian Taut was formed by three crosses. 3 
The monogram of Saturn was a cross and a ram’s horn; it was also 
a monogram of Jupiter. 4 * The monogram of Venus was a cross 
and a circle. 6 The monogram of the Phenician Astarte, and the 
Babylonian Bal, was also a cross and a circle. 0 It was also that of 
Freya, Holda, and Aphrodite. 7 Its true significance was the Linga 
and Yoni. 

The cross, which was so universally adored, in its different forms 
among heathen nations, was intended as an emblem or symbol of the 
Sun , of eternal life , the generative powers, &c. 8 

As with the cross, and the X. P., so likewise with many other 
so-called Christian symbols — they are borrowed from Paganism. 
Among these may be mentioned the mystical three letters I. II. S., 
to this day retained in some of our Protestant, as well as Roman 
Catholic churches, and falsely supposed to stand for “ Jesu Ilomini- 
um Salvator ,” or “ In Hoc Signo.” It is none other than the iden¬ 
tical monogram of the heathen god Bacchus , 9 and was to be seen 
on the coins of the Maharajah of Cashmere. 1 * Dr. Inman says : 

“ For a long period I. H. S., I. E. E. S, was a monogram of Bacchus; letters 
now adopted by Romanists. Ilesus was an old divinity of Gaul, possibly left by 
the Phenicians. We have the same I. H. S. in Jazabcl, and reproduced in our 
Isabel. The idea connected with the word is ‘ Phallic Vigor .’ ?M1 

The Triangle, which is to be seen at the present day in Chris¬ 
tian churches as an emblem of the “ Ever-blessed Trinity,” is also 
of Pagan origin, and was used by them for the same purpose. 

Among the numerous symbols, the Triangle is conspicuous in 
India. Hindoos attached a mystic signification to its three sides, 
and generally placed it in their temples. It was often composed of 
lotus plants, with an eye in the center. 12 It was sometimes repre¬ 
sented in connection with the mystical word AUM 13 (Fig. Ho. 31), 
and sometimes surrounded with rays of glory. 14 

This symbol was engraved upon the tablet of the ring which the 
religious chief, called the Brahm-dtma wore, as one of the signs of 


1 See Ibid, and Monumental Christianity, 
pp. 15, 92, 123, 126, 127. 

2 See Celtic Druids, p. 101. Anacalypsis, 
vol. i. p. 220. Indian Antiq., ii. 68. 

3 See Celtic Druids, p. 101. Bonwick’s 
Egyptian Belief, p. 103. 

4 See Celtic Druids, p. 127, and Taylor's 

Diegesis, p. 201. 

6 See Celtic Druids, p. 127. 

* See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 218. 

7 See Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. 115. 


8 See The Pentateuch Examined, vol. vi. 
pp. 113-115. 

9 See Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. pp. 221 
and 328. Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 187. Celtic 
Druids, p. 127, and Isis Unveiled, p. 527, vol. ii. 

10 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 212. 

11 Ancient Faiths, vol. i. pp. 518, 519. 

12 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 94. 

13 This word—AUM—stood for Brahma, 
Vishnu and Siva, the Hindoo Trinity. 

14 See Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 31. 



352 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


liis dignity, and it was used by the Buddhists as emblematic of the 
Trinity. 1 2 

The ancient Egyptians signified their divine Ti'iad by a single 
Triangle? 

Mr. Bonwick says: 

“ The Triangle was a religious form from the first. It is to be recognized in 
the Obelisk and Pyramid (of Egypt). To this daj'-, in some Christian churches, 
the priest’s blessing is given as it was in Egypt, by the sign of a triangle; viz.: 
two fingers and a thumb. An Egyptian god is seen with a triangle over his 
shoulders. This figure, in ancient Egyptian theology, was the type of the Holy 
Trinity—three in one .” 3 

And Dr. Inman says : 

“ The Triangle is a sacred symbol in our modern churches, and it was the 
sign used in ancient temples before the initiated, to indicate the Trinity—three 
persons ‘co-eternal together, and co-equal.’ ” 4 

The Triangle is found on ancient Greek monuments. 5 An an¬ 
cient seal (engraved in the Memoir& 
de FAeademie royale des Inscriptions 
et Belles Lettres), supposed to be of 
Phenician origin, “has as subject a 
standing figure between two stars, 
beneath which are handled crosses. 
Above the head of the deity is the 
triangle, or symbol of the Trinity.” 6 

One of the most conspicuous 
among the symbols intended to rep¬ 
resent the Trinity, to be seen in 
Christian churches, is the compound 
leaf of the trefoil. Modern story had 
attributed to St. Patrick the idea of 
demonstrating a trinity in unity, by 
showing the shamrock to his hearers ; but, says Dr. Inman, “ like 
many other things attributed to the moderns, the idea belongs to the 
ancients.” 7 

The Trefoil adorned the head of Osiris , the Egyptian Saviour,, 
and is to be found among the Pagan symbols or representations of 


1 See Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 31. 9 See Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 

2 Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 196. 196. 

3 Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 213. 6 Curious Myths, p. 289. 

* Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 328. 7 Inman’s A’ncient Faiths, vol. i. pp. 153, 









CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


353 


the three-in-one mystery. 1 Fig. No. 32 is a representation of the 
Trefoil used by the ancient Hindoos as emblematic of their celestial 
Triad — Brahma, Vishnu and Siva — and afterwards adopted by 
the Christians. 2 The leaf of the Vila, or Bel-tree, is typical of 
Siva’s attributes, because triple in form. 3 

The Trefoil was a sacred plant among the ancient Druids of Bri¬ 
tain. It was to them an emblem of the mysterious three in one? 
It is to be seen on their coins? 

The Tripod was very generally employed among the ancients 
as an emblem of the Trinity , and is 
found composed in an endless variety 
of ways. On the coins of Menecratia, 
in Phrygia, it is represented between 
two asterisks,with a serpent wreathed 
around a battle-axe, inserted into it, as 
an accessory symbol, signifying pre¬ 
servation and destruction. In the 
ceremonial of worship, the number 
three was employed with mystic so¬ 
lemnity. 0 

The three lines, or three human 
legs, springing from a central disk or 
circle, which lias been called a Tri- 
nacria , and supposed to allude to the 
island of Sicily, is simply an ancient emblem of the Trinity. 
44 It is of Asiatic origin; its earliest appearance being upon 
the very ancient coins of Aspendus in Pamphylia; sometimes 
alone in the square incuse, and sometimes upon the body of an 
eagle or the back of a lion.” 7 

We have already seen, in the chapter on the crucifixion, that the 
earliest emblems of the Christian Saviour were the 44 Good Shep¬ 
herd ” and the 44 Lamb.” Among these may also be mentioned the 
Fish. 44 The only satisfactory explanation why Jesus should be 
represented as a Fish,” says Mr. King, in his Gnostics and their 
Remains, 8 44 seems to be the circumstance that in the quaint jargon 
of the Talmud the Messiah is often designated 4 Dag,’ or 4 The 
Fish ” and Mr. Lundy, in his 44 Monumental Christianity,” says: 



1 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 242. 

2 See Inman’s Pagan and Christian Sym¬ 
bolism, p. 30. 

3 Sec Williams’ Hinduism, p. 99. 

4 See Myths of the British Druids, p. 448. 


6 Ibid. p. 601. 

* Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 170. 
» Ibid. pp. 169, 170. 
e Page 138. 








354 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ Next to the sacred monogram (the vj^ ) the Fish takes its place in import¬ 
ance as a sign of Christ in his special office of Saviour.” “ In the Talmud the 
Messiah is called ‘ Dag ’ or ‘ Fish. ’ ” “ Where did the Jews learn to apply ‘ Dag ’ 

to their Messiah ? And why did the primitive Christians adopt it as a sign of 
Christ ?” “I cannot disguise facts. Truth demands no concealment or apology. 
Paganism has its types and prophecies of Christ as well as Judaism. W hat then 
is the Dag-on of the old Babylonians ? The fish-god or being that taught them 
all their civilisation .” 1 

As Mr. Lundy says, “ truth demands no concealment or apol¬ 
ogy,” therefore, when the truth is exposed, we find that Vishnu , 
the Hindoo Messiah, Preserver, Mediator and Saviour , was repre¬ 
sented as a u dag,” or fish. The Fish 
takes its place in importance as a sign 
of Vishnu in his special office of 
Saviour. 

Prof. Monier Williams says : 

“It is as Vishnu that the Supreme Being, 
according to the Hindoos, exhibited his sympa¬ 
thy with human trials, his love for the human 
race. Nine principal occasions have already 
occurred in which the god has thus interposed 
for the salvation of his creatures. The first 
was Matsaya , the Fish. In this Vishnu became 
a fish to save the seventh Manu, the progenitor 
of the human race, from the universal deluge .”' 2 

We have already seen, in Chap. IX., 
the identity of the Hindoo Matsaya 
and the Babylonian Dagon. 

The fish was sacred among the Babylonians, Assyrians and 
Plienicians, as it is among the Romanists of to-day. It was sacred 
also to Venus , and the Romanists still eat it on the very day of the 
week which was called “ Dies veneris ,” Venus’ day; fish day. 3 
It was an emblem of fecundity. The most ancient symbol of the 
productive power was a fish, and it is accordingly found to be the 
universal symbol upon many of the earliest coins. 4 Pythagoras 
and his followers did not eat fish. They were ascetics, and the eat¬ 
ing of fish was supposed to tend to carnal desires. This ancient 
superstition is entertained by many even at the present day. 

The fish was the earliest symbol of Christ Jesus. Fig. No. 33 
is a design from the catacombs. 5 This cross-fish is not unlike the 
sacred monogram. 



1 Monumental Christianity, pp. 130, 132, 133. * Knight: Anct, Art and Mytho., p. 111. 

2 Indian Wisdom, p. 329. 6 Lillie : Buddha and Early Buddhism, p. 

3 Inman : Anct. Faiths, vol. i. pp. 528, 529 , 227. 

and Muller : Science of Kelig., p. 315. 













CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


355 


That the Christian Saviour should be called a fish, may at first 
appear strange, but when the mythos is properly understood (as we 
shall endeavor to make it in Chap. XXXIX.), it will not appear so. 
The Rev. Dr. Geikie, in his “Life and Words of Christ,” says that 
a fish stood for his name , from the significance of the Greek letters 
in the word that expresses the idea, and for this reason he was called 
a fish. But, we may ask, why was Buddha not only called Fo, 
or Po, but Dag-Po , which was literally the Fish Po, or Fish 
Buddha? The fish did not stand for his name. The idea that Jesus 
was called a fish because the Messiah is designated “ Dag ” in the 
Talmud, is also an unsatisfactory explanation. 

Julius Africanus (an early Christian writer) says : 

“Christ is the great Fish taken by the fish-hook of God, and whose flesh 
nourishes the whole world .” 1 

“ The fish fried 
Was Christ that died,” 

is an old couplet. 2 

Prosper Africanus calls Christ, 

“ The great fish who satisfied for himself the disciples on the shore, and 
offered himself as a fish to the whole world .” 3 

The Serjpent was also an emblem of Christ Jesus, or in other 
words, represented Christ, among some of the early Christians. 

Moses set up a brazen serpent in the wilderness, and Christian 
divines have seen in this a type of Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Gos¬ 
pels sanction this; for it is written : 

“ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man 
be lifted up.” 

From this serpent, Tertullian asserts, the early sect of Christians 
called Ophites took their rise. Epiphanius says, that the “ Ophites 
sprung out of the Nicolaitans and Gnostics, who were so called from 
the serpent , which they worshiped.” “ The Gnostics,” he adds, 
“ taught that the ruler of the world was of a dracontic form?' The 
Ophites preserved live serpents in their sacred chest, and looked 
upon them as the mediator between them and God. Manes, in the 
third century, taught serpent worship in Asia Minor, under the 
name of Christianity, promulgating that 

“ Christ was an incarnation of the Great Serpent , who glided over the cradle of 
the Virgin Mary , when she was asleep, at the age of a year and a half. ” 4 

“ The Gnostics,” says Irenaeus, “ represented the Mind (the Son, 

i Quoted in Monumental Christianity, p. 3 Ibid. p. 135. 3 Ibid. p. 372. 

j 34 < * Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 24G. 






356 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


the Wisdom) in the form of a serpent,” and “ the Ophites,’’ says 
Epiphanius, “ have a veneration for the serpent; they esteem him 
the same as Christ.” “ They even quote the Gospels,” says Ter- 
tnll ian, “ to prove that Christ was an imitation of the serpent.” 1 

The question now arises, Why was the Christian Saviour repre¬ 
sented as a serpent? Simply because the heathen Saviours were 
represented in like manner. 

From the earliest times of which we have any historical notice, 
the serpent has been connected with the preserving gods, or Sa¬ 
viours ; the gods of goodness and of wisdom. In Hindoo mythol¬ 
ogy, the serpent is intimately associated with Vishnu, the preserving 
god, the Saviour. 2 Serpents are often associated with the Hindoo 
gods, as emblems of eternity. 3 It was a very sacred animal among 
the Hindoos. 4 

Worshipers of Buddha venerate serpents. “ This animal,” 
says Mr. Wake, “ became equal in importance as Buddha himself.” 
And Mr. Lillie says : 

“ That God was worshiped at an early date by the Buddists under the symbol 
of the Serpent is proved from the sculptures of oldest topes, where worshipers 
are represented so doing .” 5 

The Egyptians also venerated the serpent. It was the special 
symbol of Tliotli, a primeval deity of Syro-Egyptian mythology, 
and of all those gods, such as Hermes and Seth, who can be con¬ 
nected with him. 0 Kneph and Apap were also represented as 
serpents. 7 

Herodotus, when he visited Egypt, found sacred serpents in the 
temples. Speaking of them, he says: 

“In the neighborhood of Thebes, there are sacred serpents, not at all hurtful 
to men: they are diminutive in size, and carry two horns that grow on the top 
of the head. When these serpents die, they bury them in the temple of Jupiter; 
for they say they are sacred to that god .” 8 


The third member of the Chaldean triad, Ilea, or Hoa, was rep¬ 
resented by a serpent. According to Sir Henry Bawlinson, the 
most important titles of this deity refer “ to his functions as the 
source of all knowledge and science.” Hot only is he “ The Intel¬ 
ligent Fish,” but his nathe may be read as signifying both “Life” 
and a “Serpent,” and he may be considered as “figured by the 
great serpent which occupies so conspicuous a place among the 


1 Fergusson : Tree and SeTpent Worship, p. 9. 

2 Wake : Phallism in Ancient Religs., p. 72. 

3 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 1G9. 

4 Knight : Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 1G, and 

Fergusson : Tree and Serpent Worship. 


6 Wake, p. 73. Lillie : p. 20. 

6 Wake, p. 40, and Bunsen’s Keys, p. 
101 . 

7 Champollion, pp. 144, 145. 

8 Herodotus, bk. ii. ch. 74. 





CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. 


357 


symbols of tlie gods on the black stones recording Babylonian bene¬ 
factors.” 1 

The Phenicians and other eastern nations venerated the serpent 
as symbols of their beneficent gods. 2 

As god of medicine, Apollo, the central figure in Grecian my¬ 
thology, was originally worshiped under the form of a serpent, and 
men invoked him as the “ Helper.” 3 

Aesculapius, the healing god, the Saviour, was also worshiped 
under the form of a serpent, 4 “ Throughout Hellas,” says Mr. Cox, 
“ Aesculapius remained the ‘ Healer,’ and the ‘Restorer of Life,’ and 
accordingly the serpent is everywhere his special emblem.” 6 

Why the serpent was the Symbol of the Saviours and beneficent 
gods of antiqifity, will be explained in Chap. XXXIX. 

The Dove, .among the Christians, is the symbol of the Holy 
Spirit. The Matthew narrator relates that when Jesus went up out 
of the water, after being baptized by John, “ the heavens were 
opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a 
dove, and lighting upon him.” 

Here is another piece of Paganism, as we find that the Dove 
was the symbol of the Holy Spirit among all nations of antiquity. 
Rev. J. P. Lundy, speaking of this, says: 

“ It is a remarkable fact that this spirit (i. e., the Holy Spirit) has been sym¬ 
bolized among all religious and civilized nations by the Dove .” 6 

And Earnest He Bunsen says : 

“ The symbol of the Spirit of God was the Dove, in Greek, peleia, and the 
Samaritans had a brazen fiery dove, instead of the brazen fiery serpent. Both 
referred to fire, the symbol of the Holy Ghost .” 7 

Buddha is represented, like Christ Jesus, with a dove hovering 
over his head.® 

The virgin goddess Juno is often represented with a dove on her 
head. It is also seen oil the heads of the images of Astarte, Cybele, 
and Isis; it was sacred to Venus, and was intended as a symbol of 
the Holy Spirit. 9 

Even in the remote islands of the Pacific Ocean, a bird is be¬ 
lieved to be an emblem of the Holy Spirit. 10 

R. Payne Knight, in speaking of the u mystic Hove,” says:. 


1 Wake : Phallism in Anct. Rcligs., p. 30. 

2 See Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 16. 
Cox : Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 128. Fergus¬ 
on's Tree and Serpent Worship, and Squire’s 
Serpent Symbol. 

3 Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 291. 

* Tree and Serpent Worship, p. 7, and Bul- 


finch : Age of Fable, p. 397. 

6 Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 36. 

6 Monumental Christianity, p. 293. 

7 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 44. 

8 See ch. xxix. 

0 Monumental Christianity, pp. 323 and 293. 
10 Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 1G9 




358 


BIBLE MYTHS 


“ A bird was probably cboscn for the emblem of the third person (i. e., the 
Holy Ghost) to signify incubation, by which was figuratively expressed the fruc¬ 
tification of inert matter, caused by the vital spirit moving upon the waters. 

“The Dove would naturally be selected in the East in preference to every 
other species of bird, on account of its domestic familiarity with man; it usually 
lodging under the same roof with him, and being employed as his messenger 
from one remote place to another. Birds of this kind were also remarkable for 
the care of their offspring, and for a sort of conjugal attachment and fidelity to 
each other, as likewise for the peculiar fervency of their sexual desires, whence 
Ihey were sacred to Venus, and emblems of love .” 1 

Masons’ marks are conspicuous among tlie Christian symbols. 
On some of the most ancient Roman Catholic cathedrals are to be 
found figures of Christ Jesus with Mason’s marks about him. 

Many are the so-called Christian symbols which % are direct im¬ 
portations from paganism. To enumerate them would take, as we 
have previously said, a volume of itself. For further information 
on this subject the reader is referred to Dr. Inman’s u Ancient Pa¬ 
gan and Modern Christian Symbolism,” where he will see how many 
ancient Indian, Egyptian, Etruscan, Grecian and Roman symbols 
have been adopted by Christians, a great number of which are 
Phallic emblems. 2 3 


1 Knight’s Ancient Art and Mythology, p. Priapus, and the other works of Dr. Thomas 

170. Inman. 

3 See also, K. Payne Knight’s Worship of 





CHAPTER XXXIY. 

THE BIRTH-DAY OF CHRIST JESUS. 

Christmas — December the 25th — is a day which has been set 
apart by the Christian church on which to celebrate the birth of 
their Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus, and is considered by the ma¬ 
jority of persons to be really the day on which he was born. This 
is altogether erroneous, as will be seen upon examination of the 
subject. 

There was no uniformity in the period of observing the Nativity 
among the early Christian churches; some held the festival in the 
month of May or April, others in January. 1 

The year in which he was born is also as uncertain as the month 
or day. “ The year in which it happened,” says Moslieim, the ec¬ 
clesiastical historian, “ has not hitherto been fixed with certainty, 
notwithstanding the deep and laborious researches of the learned.” 1 * 

According to Iren^eus (a. d. 190), on the authority of “The 
Gospel,” and “ all the elders who were conversant in Asia with 
John, the disciple of the Lord,” Christ Jesus lived to be nearly, if 
not quite, fifty years of age. If this celebrated Christian father is 
correct, and who can say he is not, Jesus was born some twenty 
years before the time which has been assigned as that of his birth.’ 

The Rev. Dr. Giles says: 

“ Concerning the time of Christ’s birth there are even greater doubts than 
about the place ; for, though the four Evangelists have noticed several contem¬ 
porary facts, which would seem to settle this point, yet on comparing these 
dates with the general history of the period, we meet with serious discrep¬ 
ancies, w T hich involve the subject in the greatest uncertainty .” 4 

Again he says: 


1 See Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 66; 3 See Chapter XL., this work. 

Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Christmas." * Hebrew and Christian Records, vol. ii. p, 

2 Eccl. Hist., vol. i. p. 53. Quoted in Tay- 189. 

lor's Diegesis, p. 104, 


359 



360 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


“ Not only do we date our time from the exact year in which Christ is said to 
have been born, but our ecclesiastical calendar has determined with scrupulous 
minuteness the day and almost the hour at which every particular of Christ’s 
wonderful life is stated to have happened. All this is implicitly believed by 
millions; yet all these things are among the most uncertain and shadowy that history 
has recorded. We have no clue to either the day or the time of year, or even the year 
itself, in which Christ was born.” 1 2 

Some Christian writers fix the year 4 b. c., as the time when 
he was born, others the year 5 b. c., and again others place his time 
of birth at about 15 b. c. The Rev. Dr. Geikie, speaking of this, 
in his Life of Christ , says : 

“The whole subject is very uncertain. Ewald appears to fix the date of the 
birth at five years earlier than our era. Petavius and Usher fix it on the 25th of 
December, five years before our era. Bengel on the 25tli of December, four 
years before our era; Anger and Winer, four years before our era, in the Spring ; 
Scaliger, three years before our era, in October; St. Jerome, three years before 
our era, on December 25th; Eusebius, two years before our era, on January 6th; 
and Idler, seven years before our era, in December.”' 1 

Albert Barnes writes in a manner which implies that he knew 
all about the year (although he does not give any authorities), but 
knew nothing about the month. He says : 

“The birth of Christ took place four years before the common era. That era 
began to be used about a.d. 526, being first employed by Dionysius, and is sup¬ 
posed to have been placed about four years too late. Some make the difference 
two, others three, four, five, and even eight years. He was born at the com¬ 
mencement of the last year of the reign of Herod, or at the close of the year 
preceding.’' 3 

“The Jews sent out their flocks into the mountainous and desert regions during 
the summer months, and took them up in the latter part of October or the first 
of November, when the cold weather commenced. . . . It is clear from this 

that our Saviour was born before the 25th of December, or before what we call 
Christmas. At that time it is cold, and especially in the high and mountainous 
regions about Bethlehem. God has concealed the time of his birth. There is no 
way to ascertain it. By different learned men it has been fixed at each month in 
the year.” 4 

Canon Farrar writes witli a little more caution, as follows: 

“Although the date of Christ’s birth cannot be fixed with absolute certainty, 
there is at least a large amount of evidence to render it probable that he was 
born four years before our present era. It is universally admitted that our re¬ 
ceived chronology, which is not older than Dionysius Exignus, in the sixth 
century, is wrong. But all attempts to discover the month and the day are use¬ 
less. No data whatever exists to enable us to determine them with even ap¬ 
proximate accuracy.” 5 


1 Hebrew and Christian Records, p. 194. 

2 Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 559. 

8 Barnes’ Notes, vol. ii. p. 402. 


4 Ibid. p. 25. 

5 Farrar’s Life of Christ, App., pp. 673, 4. 




THE BIRTHDAY OF CHRIST JESUS. 


361 


Bunsen attempts to show (on the authority of Irenceus , above 
quoted), that Jesus was born some fifteen years before the time as¬ 
signed, and that he lived to be nearly, if not quite, fifty years of 
age. 1 

According to Basnage, 2 * the Jews placed his birth near a century 
sooner than the generally assumed epoch. Others have placed it 
even in the third century b. c. This belief is founded on a pas¬ 
sage in the “ Book of Wisdom f 3 written about 250 b. c., which 
is supposed to refer to Christ Jesus , and none other. In speaking 
of some individual who lived at that time y it says : 

“He professetli to have tlie knowledge of God, and he calleth himself the 
child of the Lord. He was made to reprove our thoughts. He is grievous unto 
us even to behold; for his life is not like other men’s, his ways are of another 
fashion. We are esteemed of him as counterfeits; he abstaineth from our ways 
as from filthiness; he pronouncetli the end of the just to be blessed, and maJceth 
his boast that God is his father. Let us see if his words he true; and let us prove 
what shall happen in the end of him. For if tli ejust man be the son of God, he 
(God) will help him, and deliver him from the hand of his enemies. Let us 
examine him with despitefulness and torture, that we may know his meekness, 
and prove his patience. Let us condemn him with a shameful death; for by his 
own saying he shall be respected.” 

This is a very important passage. Of course, the church claim 
it to be a prophecy of what Christ Jesus was to do and suffer, but 
tliis does not explain it. 

If the writer of the “ Gospel according to Luke is correct, 
Jesus was not born until about a. d. 10, for lie explicitly tells us 
that this event did not happen until Cyrenius was governor of 
Syria. 4 * Now it is well known that Cyrenius was not appointed to 
this office until long after the death of Herod (during whose reign 
the Matthew narrator informs us Jesus was born “), and that the 
taxing spoken of by the Luke narrator as having taken place at this 
time, did not take place until about ten years after the time at which, 
according to the Matthew narrator, Jesus was born. 6 

Eusebius, the first ecclesiastical historian, 7 places his birth at the 
time Cyrenius was governor of Syria, and therefore at about a. d. 
10. IJis words are as follows : 

“It was the two and fortieth year after the reign of Augustus the Emperor, 
and the eight and twentieth year after the subduing of Egypt, and the death of 
Antonius and Cleopatra, when last of all the Ptolemies in Egypt ceased to bear 


1 Bible Chronology, pp. 73, 74. 7 Eusebius was Bishop of Cesarea from a.d. 

2 Hist, de Juif. 315 to 340, in which he died, in the 70th year 

s Chap. ii. 13-20. of his age, thus playing his great part in life 

4 Luke ii. 1-7. chiefly under the reigns of Constantine the 

6 Matt. ii. 1. Great and his son Constantius. 

c See Josephus : Antiq.,bk. xviii. ch. i. sec. i. 


I 


/ 






362 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


rule, when our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, at the time of the first taxing— 
Cyrenius, then President of Syria—was horn in Bethlehem, a city of Judea, 
according unto the prophecies in that behalf premised.” 1 

Had the Luke narrator known anything about Jewish history, 
he never would have made so gross a blunder as to place the taxing 
of Cyrenius in the days of Ilerod, and would have saved the im¬ 
mense amount of labor that it has taken in endeavoring to explain 
away the effects of his ignorance. One explanation of this mistake 
is, that there were two assessments, one about the time Jesus was 
born, and the other ten years after; but this has entirely failed. 
Dr. IJooykaas, speaking of this, says: 

“The Evangelist (Luke) falls into the most extraordinary mistakes through¬ 
out. In the first place, history is silent as to a census of the whole (Roman) 
world ever having been made at all. In the next place, though Quirinius cer¬ 
tainly did make such a register in Judea and Samaria, it did not extend to 
Galilee ; so that Joseph’s household was not affected by it. Besides, it did not 
take place until ten years after the death of Ilerod , when his son Archelaus was 
deposed by the emperor, and the districts of Judea and Samaria were thrown 
into a Roman province. Under the reign of Herod, nothing of the kind took 
place, nor was there any occasion for it. Finally, at the time of the birth of 
Jesus, the Governor of Syria was not Quirinius, but Quintus Sentius Saturni- 
nus.” 2 

The institution of the festival of the Nativity of Christ Jesus 
being held on the 25th of December, among the Christians, is at¬ 
tributed to Telesphorus, who flourished during the reign of Anto- 
nius Pius (a. d. 138-161), but the first certain traces of it are found 
about the time of the Emperor Commodus (a. d. ISO-192). 3 

For a long time the Christians had been trying to discover upon 
what particular day Jesus had possibly or probably come into the 
world; and conjectures and traditions that rested upon absolutely 
no foundation, led one to the 20tli of May, another to the 19th or 
20th of April, and a third to the 5tli of January. At last the opin¬ 
ion of the community at Rome gained the upper hand, and the 25th 
of December was fixed upon. 4 It was not until th Qfifth century, 
however, that this day had been generally agreed upon. 5 How it 
happened that this day finally became fixed as the birthday of 
Christ Jesus, may be inferred from what we shall now see. 

On the first moment after midnight of the 24th of December 
(i. e., on the morning of the 25th), nearly all the nations of the earth. 


1 Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 1, ch. vi. 

2 Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 56. 

3 See Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Christ¬ 
mas." 

4 See Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 66. 

3 “By the fifth century, however, whether 


from the influence of some tradition, or from 
the desire to supplant Heathen Festivals of that 
period of the year, such as the Saturnalia, the 
25th of December had been generally agreed 
upon.” (Eacyclopaidia Brit., art. “ Christ¬ 
mas.” 





THE BIRTHDAY OF CHRIST JESUS. 


363 


as if by common consent, celebrated tlie accouchement of the 
“ Queen of Ileaven ,” of the “ Celestial Virgin ” of the sphere, and 
the birth of the god Sol. 

In India this is a period of rejoicing everywhere . 1 It is a great 
religious festival, and the people decorate their houses with garlands, 
and make presents to friends and relatives. This custom is of very 
great antiquity . 2 * 

In China , religious solemnities are celebrated at the time of the 
winter solstice , the last week in December , when all shops are shut 
up, and the courts are closed . 9 

Buddha , the son of the Virgin Maya, on whom, according to 
Chinese tradition, u tlie Holy Ghost” had descended, was said to 
have been born on Christmas day, December 25th. 4 

Among the ancient Persians their most splendid ceremonials 
were in honor of their Lord and Saviour Mithras ; they kept his 
birthday, with many rejoicings, on the 25th of December. 

The author of the “ Celtic Druids ” says: 

“It was the custom of the heathen, long before the birth of Christ, to cele¬ 
brate the birth-day of their gods,” and that, “ the 25th of December was a great 
festival with the Persians, who, in very early times, celebrated the birth of their 
god Mithras .” 5 

The Rev. Joseph B. Gross, in his “ Heathen Religion ,” also 
tells us that: 

“ The ancient Persians celebrated a festival in honor of Mithras on the first 
day succeeding the Winter Solstice, the object of which was to commemorate the 
birth of Mithras.” 6 

Among the ancient Egyptians , for centuries before the time of 
Christ Jesus, the 25th of December was set aside as the birthday of 
their gods. M. Le Clerk De Septehenes speaks of it as follows: 

“ The ancient Egypt ians fixed the pregnancy of Isis (the Queen of Heaven , and 
the Virgin Mother of the Saviour Horus), on the last days of March, and towards 
the end of December they placed the commemoration of her delivery.” 7 * 

Mr. Bon wick, in speaking of Ilorus , says: 

“ He is the great God-loved of Heaven. His birth was one of the greatest 
mysteries of the Egyptian religion. Pictures representing it appeared on the 


1 See Monier Williams : Hinduism, p. 181. 

3 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 126. 

s Ibid. 216. 

4 See Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, pp. x.- 

25, and 110, and Lillie : Buddha and Buddhism, 

p. 73. 

Some writers have asserted that Crishna is 

said to have been born on December 25th, but 

this is not the case. His birthday is held in 
July-August. (See Williams’ Hinduism, p. 183, 


and Life and Religion of the Hindoos, p. 134.) 

6 Celtic Druids, p. 163. See also, Prog. 
Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 272 ; Monumental Chris¬ 
tianity, p. 167 ; Bible for Learners, lii. pp. 66, 
67. 

6 The Heathen Religion, p. 287. See also, 
Dupuis : p. 246. 

7 Relig. of the Anct. Greeks, p. 214. See also, 
Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99. 



364 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


walls of temples. One passed through the holy Adytum 1 to the still more 
sacred quarter of the temple known as the birth-place of Horus. He was pre¬ 
sumably the child of Deity. At Christmas time, or that answering to our festi¬ 
val, his image was brought out of that sanctuary with peculiar ceremonies,- 
as the image of the infant Bambino 2 is still brought out and exhibited in 
Rome.” 1 2 3 4 * 

Rigord observes that the Egyptians not only worshiped a Vir¬ 
gin Mother “prior to the birth of our Saviour, hut exhibited the- 
effigy of her son lying in the manger, in the manner the infant Je¬ 
sus was afterwards laid in the cave at Bethlehem. 5,4 

The “ Chronicles of Alexandria,” an ancient Christian work, 
says: 

“ Watch how Egypt has constructed the childbirth of a Virgin, and the birth 
of her son, who was exposed in a crib to the adoration of the people."' 9 

Osiris , son of the “ Iloly Virgin ,” as they called Ceres, or 
Heith, his mother, was horn on the 25th of December. 6 

This was also the time celebrated by the ancient Greeks as being 
the birthday of Hercules. The author of “The Religion of the A n¬ 
cient Greeks 55 says: 

“ The night of the Winter Solstice, which the Greeks named the triple night, 
was that which they thought gave birth to Hercules ,” 7 

He further says: 

“It has become an epoch of singular importance in the eyes of the Christian, 
who has destined it to celebrate the birth of the Saviour, the true Sun of Justice, 
who alone came to dissipate the darkness of ignorance.” 8 

Bacchus , also, was born at early dawn on the 25tli of December. 
Mr. Higgins says of him: 

“The birth-place of Bacchus, called Sabizius or Sabaotli, was claimed by 
several places in Greece ; but on Mount Zelmissus, in Thrace, his worship seems 
to have been chiefly celebrated. He was born of a virgin on the 25th of Decem¬ 
ber, and was always called the Saviour. In his Mysteries, he was shown to 
the people, as an infant is by the Christians at this day, on Christmas-day morn¬ 
ing, in Rome.” 9 

The birthday of Adonis was celebrated on the 25th of Decem¬ 
ber. This celebration is spoken of by Tertullian, Jerome, and other 


1 “Adytum the interior or sacred part 
of a heathen temple. 

2 “ Bambino ”—a term nsed for representa¬ 
tions of the infant Saviour, Christ Jesus, in 
swaddlings. 

3 Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 157. See 
also, Dupuis, p. 237. 

4 “Deinceps Egyptii Parituram Virginem 

magno in honore habuerunt; quin soliti sunt 

puerum effingere jacentem in proesepe, quali 


postea in Bethlehemetica spelunca natus est.” 
(Quoted in Anacalypsis, p. 102, of vol. ii.) 

6 Quoted by Bonwick, p. 143. 

6 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99. 

7 Relig. Anct. Greece, p. 215. 

8 Ibid. 

9 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 102 ; Dupuis, p. 237, 
and Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. 
p. 322. 





THE BIRTHDAY OF CHRIST JESUS. 


365 


Fathers of the Church, 1 who inform us that the ceremonies took place 
in a cave, and that the cave in which they celebrated his mysteries 
in Bethlehem, was that in which Christ Jesus was born. 

This was also a great holy day in ancient Borne. The Bev. Mr. 
.Gross says: 

“In Home, before the time of Christ, a festival was observed on the 25th 
of December, under the name of ‘ Natalis Solis Invicti ’ (Birthday of Sol the 
Invincible). It w T as a day of universal rejoicings, illustrated by illuminations 
and public games.” 2 “All public business was suspended, declarations of war 
and criminal executions were postponed, friends made 'presents to one another , 
and the slaves were indulged with great liberties.” 3 

A few weeks before the winter solstice, the Calabrian shepherds 
came into Borne to play on the pipes. Ovid alludes to this when 
he says: 

“ Ante Deum matrem cornu tibicen adunco 
Cum canit, exiguse quis stipis aera neget.” 

—(Epist. i. 1. ii.) 

i. e., “ When to the mighty mother pipes the swain, 

Grudge not a trifle for his pious strain.” 

This practice is kept up to the present da}\ 

The ancient Germans , for centuries before “ the true Sun of 
Justice” was ever heard of, celebrated annually, at the time of the 
Winter solstice , what they called their Yule-feast. At this feast 
agreements were renewed, the gods were consulted as to the future, 
sacrifices were made to them, and the time was spent in jovial hos¬ 
pitality. Many features of this festival, such as burning the yule- 
log on Christmas-eve, still survive among us. 4 

Yule was the old name for Christmas. In French it is called 
Noel , which is the Hebrew or Chaldee word Nule . 5 

The greatest festival of the year celebrated among the ancient 
Scandinavians , was at the Winter solstice. They called the night 
upon which it was observed, the “ Mother-niglit .” This feast was 
named Jul — hence is derived the word Yule — and was celebrated 
in honor of Freyr (son of the Supreme God Odin, and the goddess 
Frigga), who was born on that day. Feasting, nocturnal assemblies, 
and all the demonstrations of a most dissolute joy, were then author¬ 
ized by the general usage. At this festival the principal guests re¬ 
ceived presents — generally horses, swords, battle-axes, and gold 
rings—at their departure. 6 


1 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99. Chambers, art. “ Yule.” 

2 The Heathen Religion, p. 287 ; Dupuis, p. 6 See Chambers’s, art. “ Yule,” and “ Celtic 

233. Druids,” p. 162. 

3 Bulfinch, p. 21. 6 Majlet’s Northern Antiquities, pp. 110 and 

* See Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 67, and 355. Knight: p. 87. 




366 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The festival of the 25th of December was celebrated by the 
ancient Druids , in Great Britain and Ireland, with great fires 
lighted on the tops of hills. 1 

Godfrey Higgins says: 

“ Stuckley observes that the worship of Mithra was spread all over Gaul and 
Britain. The Druids kept this night as a great festival, and called the day fol¬ 
lowing it Nolagh or Noel, or the day of regeneration, and celebrated it with 
great tires on the tops of their mountains, which they repeated on the day of the 
Epiphany or twelfth night. The Mithraic monuments, which are common in 
Britain, have been attributed to the Homans, but this festival proves that the 
Mithraic worship was there prior to their arrival.” 2 

This was also a time of rejoicing in Ancient Mexico. Acosta 
says: 

“In the first month, which in Peru they call Rayme, and answering to our 
December, they made a solemn feast called Capacrciyme (the Winter Solstice), 
wherein they made many sacrifices and ceremonies, which continued many 
days.” 3 

The evergreens, and particularly the mistletoe, which are used 
all over the Christian world at Christmas time, betray its heathen 
origin. Tertullian, a Father of the Church, who flourished about 
a. i). 200, writing to his brethren, affirms it to be “ rank idolatry ” 
to deck their doors “ with garlands or flowers, on festival days, ac¬ 
cording to the custom of the heathen A 4 

This shows that the heathen in those days, did as the Christians 
do now. What have evergreens, and garlands, and Christmas trees, 
to do with Christianity ? Simply nothing. It is the old Yule- 
feast which was held bv all the northern nations, from time imme- 
morial, handed down to, and observed at the present day. In the 
greenery with which Christians deck their houses and temples of 
worship, and in the Christmas-trees laden with gifts, we unques¬ 
tionably see a relic of the symbols by which our heathen forefathers 
signified their faith in the powers of the returning sun to clothe the 
earth again with green, and hang new fruit on the trees. Foliage, 
such as the laurel, myrtle, ivy, or oak, and in general, all evergreens, 
were Dionysiac plants, that is, symbols of the generative power, 
signifying perpetuity of youth and vigor. 5 

Among the causes, then, that co-operated in fixing this period— 
December 25th — as the birthday of Christ Jesus, was, as we have 
seen, that almost every ancient nation of the earth held a festival 
on this day in commemoration of the birth of their virgin-born god. 


1 Dupuis, 160 ; Celtic Druids, and Monu¬ 
mental Christianity, p 167. 

2 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99. 


3 Hist. Indies, vol. ii. p. 354. 

4 See Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. SO. 

6 Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho.. p. 32. 




THE BIRTHDAY OF CHRIST JESUS. 


367 


On this account the Christians adopted it as the time of the birth 
of their God. Mr. Gibbon, speaking of this in his “ Decline and 
Fall of the Roman Empire,” says* 

“ The Roman Christians, ignorant of the real date of his (Christ’s) birth, fixed 
the solemn festival to the 25th of December, the Brumalia, or Winter Solstice, 
when the Pagans annually celebrated the birth of JSol.” 1 

And Mr. King, in his “ Gnostics and their Remains,” says: 

“ The ancient festival held on the 25th of December in honor of the ‘ Birthday 
of the Invincible One,’ and celebrated by the ‘great games ’ at the circus, was 
afterwards transferred to the commemoration of the birth of Christ, the precise 
day of which many of the Fathers confess was then unknown.” 2 

St. Chrysostom, who flourished about a. d. 390, referring to this 
Pagan festival, says: 

“ On this day, also, the birth of Christ icas lately fixed at Rome, in order that 
whilst the heathen were busy with their 'profane ceremonies, the Christians 
might perform their holy rites undisturbed.” 3 

Add to this the fact that St. Gregory, a Christian Father of the 
third century, was instrumental in, and commended by other Fathers 
for, changing Pagan festivals into Christian holidays , for the pur¬ 
pose, as they said, of drawing the heathen to the religion of Christ. 4 

As Dr. Hooykaas remarks, the church was always anxious to 
meet the heathen half way, by allowing them to retain the feasts 
they were accustomed to, only giving them a Christian dress , or 
attaching a new or Christian signification to them. 5 

In doing these, and many other such things, which we shall 
speak of in our chapter on “ Paganism in Christianity ,” the 
Christian Fathers, instead of drawing the heathen to their religion, 
drew themselves into Paganism. 


1 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p. 383. 4 See the chapter on “ Paganism in Christi- 

2 King’s Gnostics, p. 49. anity.” 

» Quoted in Ibid. ‘ Bible for Learners, vo. iii. p. 67. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 


THE TRINITY. 

“ Say not there are three Gods, God is but One God.”—(Koran.) 

The doctrine of the Trinity is the highest and most mysterious 
doctrine of the Christian church. It declares that there are three 
persons in the Godhead or divine nature — the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Ghost—-and that u these three are one true, eternal God, 
the same in substance, equal in power and glory, although distin¬ 
guished by their personal propensities.” The most celebrated state¬ 
ment of the doctrine is to be found in the Atlianasian creed, 1 which 
asserts that: 

“ The Catholic 2 faith is this: That we worship One God as Trinity, and Trin¬ 
ity in Unity—neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance—for 
there is One person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy 
Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
is all one; the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.” 

As M. Reville remarks: 

“ The dogma of the Trinity displayed its contradictions with true bravery. 
The Deity divided into three divine persons, and yet these three persons forming 
only One God ; of these three the first only being self- existent, the two others de¬ 
riving their existence from the first, and yet these three persons being considered 
as perfectly equal; each having his special, distinct character, his individual 
qualities, wanting in the other two, and yet each one of the three being supposed 
to possess the fullness of perfection—here, it must be confessed, we have the 
deification of the contradictory.” 3 

We shall now see that this very peculiar doctrine of three in 
one, and one in three, is of heathen origin, and that it must fall with 
all the other dogmas of the Christian religion. 

Q 


1 The celebrated passage (I. John. v. 7) 
“ For there are three that bear record in heaven, 
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and 
these three are one,” is now admitted on all 
hands to be an interpolation into the epistle 
many centuries after the time of Christ Jesus. 

3G8 


(See Giles’ Hebrew and Christian Records, vol. 
ii. p. 12. Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iii. p. 556. In¬ 
man’s Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 886. Taylor’s 
Diegesis and Reber's Christ of Paul.) 

2 That is, the true faith. 

8 Dogma Deity Jesus Christ, p. 95. 





THE TRINITY. 


369 


The number three is sacred in all theories derived from oriental 
sources. Deity is always a trinity of some kind, or the successive 
emanations proceeded in threes. 1 

If we turn to India we shall find that one of the most promi¬ 
nent features in the Indian theology is the doctrine of a divine triad, 
governing all things. This triad is called Tri-murti — from the 
Sanscrit word tri (three) and murti (form) — and consists of 
Brahma, Yishnu, and Siva. It is an inseparable unity, though three 
in form. 2 

“ When the universal and infinite being Brahma — the only re¬ 
ally existing entity, wholly without form, and unbound and unaf¬ 
fected by the three Gunas or by qualities of any kind — wished to 
create for his own entertainment the phenomena of the universe, 
he assumed the quality of activity and became a male person, as 
Brahma the creator. Next, in the progress of still further self¬ 
evolution, he willed to invest himself with the second quality of 
goodness, as Vishnu the preserver, and with the third quality of 
darkness, as Siva the destroyer. This development of the doctrine 
of triple manifestation ( tri-murti ), which appears first in the Brali- 
manized version of the Indian Epics, had already been adumbrated 
in the Yeda in the triple form of fire, and in the triad of gods, 
Agni, Stirya, and Indra; and in other ways.” 3 * 

This divine Tri-murti —says the Brahmans and the sacred books 
—is indivisible in essence, and indivisible in action ; mystery pro¬ 
found ! which is explained in the following manner: 

Brahma represents the creative principle, the unreflected or un¬ 
evolved propogoneous state of divinity — the Father. 

Vishnu represents the protecting and preserving principle, the 
evolved or reflected state of divinity — the Son* 

Siva is the principle that presides at destruction and re-con¬ 
struction— the Holy Spirit. 5 


1 “ The notion of a Triad of Supreme Pow¬ 
ers is indeed common to most ancient relig¬ 
ions.” (Prichard’s Egyptian Mytho., p. 285.) 

“ Nearly all the Pagan nations of antiquity, 
in their various theological systems, acknowl¬ 
edged a trinity in the divine nature.” (Maur¬ 
ice : Indian Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 35.) 

“ The ancients imagined that their triad of 
gods or persons, only constituted one god.” 
(Celtic Druids, p. 197.) 

2 The three attributes called Brahma, Vishnu 

and Siva, are indicated by letters corresponding 

to our a. u. m., generally pronounced om. This 

mystic word is never uttered except in prayer, 
and the sign which represents it in their tem- 

24 


pies is an object of profound adoration. 

3 Monier Williams’ Indian Wisdom, p. 324. 

4 That is, the Lord and Saviour Crishna. The 

Supreme Spirit, in order to preserve the world, 
produced Vishnu. Vishnu came upon earth, for 
this purpose, in the form of Crishna. He 
was believed to be an incarnation of the Su¬ 
preme Being, one of the persons of their holy 
and mysterious trinity, to use their language, 
“ The Lord and Savior—three persons and one 
god.” In the Geita, Crishna is made to say: 
“ I am the Lord of all created beings.” “ I am 
the mystic figure o. m.” “ I am Brahma, 

Vishnu, and Siva, three gods in one.” 

5 See The Heathen Religion, p. 124. 




370 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The third person was the Destroyer, or, in his good capacity, the 
Regenerator. The dove was the emblem of the Regenerator. As 
the spiritus was the passive cause (brooding on the face of the 
waters) by which all things sprang into life, the dove became the 
emblem of the Spirit, or Holy Ghost, the third person. 

These three gods are the first and the highest manifestations of 
the Eternal Essence, and are typified by the three letters composing 
the mystic syllable OM or AUM. They constitute the well known 
Trimurti or Triad of divine forms which characterizes Ilindooism. 
It is usual to describe these three gods as Creator, Preserver and 
Destroyer, but this gives a very inadequate idea of their complex 
characters. ISTor does the conception of their relationship to each 
other become clearer when it is ascertained that their functions are 
constantly interchangeable, and that each may take the place of the 
other, according to the sentiment expressed by the greatest of In¬ 
dian poets, Kalidasa (Kumara-sambhava, Griffith, vii. 44) : 

“ In those three persons the One GocI was shown— 

Each first in place, each last—not one alone ; 

Of Siva, Yislmu, Brahma, each may be 
First, second, third, among the blessed three.” 

A devout person called Attencin, becoming convinced that he 
should worship but one deity, thus addressed Brahma, Vishnu and 
Siva: 

“ O you three Lords ; know that I recognize only One God ; inform me there¬ 
fore, which of you is the true divinity, that I may address to him alone my vows 
and adorations.” 

The three gods became manifest to him, and replied: 

“Learn, O devotee, that there is no real distinction between us ; what to you 
appears such is only by semblance ; the Single Being appears under three forms, 
but he is One.” 1 

Sir William Jones says: 

“ Very respectable natives have assured me, that one or two missionaries 
have been absurd enough in their zeal for the conversion of the Gentiles, to urge 
that the Hindoos were even now almost Christians ; because their Brahma, 
Vishnou, and Mahesa (Siva), were no other than the Christian Trinity. ” 2 

Thomas Maurice, in his “ Indian Antiquities,” describes a mag¬ 
nificent piece of Indian sculpture, of exquisite workmanship, and 
of stupendous antiquity, namely: 

“A bust composed of three heads, united to one body, adorned with the oldest 
symbols of the Indian theology, and thus expressly fabricated according to the 


1 Allen’s India, pp. 382, 383. 


a Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 272. 





TIIE TRINITY. 


371 


unanimous confession of the sacred sacerdotal tribe of India, to indicate the Cre¬ 
ator, the Preserver, and the Regenerator, of mankind ; which establishes the solemn 
fact, that from the remotest eras, the Indian nations had adored a triune deity." 1 

Fig. No. 34 is a representation of an Indian sculpture, intended 
to represent the Triune God, 2 evidently similar to the one described 
above by Mr. Maurice. It is taken from (( a very ancient granite ” 
in the museum at the “ Indian 
House,” and was dug from the 
ruins of a temple in the island 
of Bombay. 

The Buddhists, as well as the 
Brahmans, have had their Trin¬ 
ity from a very early period. 

Mr. Faber, in his “ Origin of 
Heathen Idolatry,” says: 

“ Among the Hindoos, we have the 
Triad of Brahma, Vishnu,and Siva; so, 
among the votaries of Buddha, we find 
the self-triplicated Buddha declared to 
be the same as the Hindoo Trimurti. 

Among the Buddhist sect of the Jain- 
ists, we have the triple Jiva, in whom 
the Trimurti is similarly declared to 
be incarnate.’' 

In this Trinity Vajrapani answers to Brahma, or Jehovah, the 
“ All-father,” Manjusri is the “ deified teacher,” the counterpart 
of Crishna or Jesus, and AvaloJcitesvara is the “ Holy Spirit.” 

Buddha was believed by his followers to be, not only an incar¬ 
nation of the deity, but “ God himself in human form” —as the 
followers of Crishna believed him to be — and therefore “ three gods 
in one.” This is clearly illustrated by the following address delivered 
to Buddha by a devotee called Amora : 

“ Reverence be unto thee, O God, in the form of the God of mercy, the dis¬ 
peller of pain and trouble, the Lord of all things, the guardian of the universe, 
the emblem of mercy towards those who serve thee—OM ! the possessor of all 
things in vital form. Thou art Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa ; thou art Lord of 
all the universe. Thou art under the proper form of all things, movable and 
immovable, the possessor of the whole, and thus I adore thee. I adore thee, 
who art celebrated by a thousand names, and under various forms ; in the shape 
of Buddha, the god of mercy.” 3 

The inhabitants of China and Japan, the majority of whom 
are Buddhists, worship God in the form of a Trinity. Their name 



1 Indian Antiquities, vol. iv. p. 372. 9 Asiatic Researches, vol. iii. pp. 285, 286. 

2 Taken from Moore’s “ Hindoo Pantheon,” See also, King’s Gnostics, 167. 

plate 81. 












372 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


for him (Buddha) is Fo, and in speaking of the Trinity they say: 
“The three pure, precious or honorable Fo.” 1 2 This triad is repre¬ 
sented in their temples by images similar to those found in the 
pagodas of India, and when they speak of God they say: “ Fo is 
one person, but has three forms”' 

In a chapel belonging to the monastery of Poo-ta*la, which was* 
found in Mancliow-Tartary, was to be seen representations of Fo, in 
the form of three persons. 3 

Navarette, in his account of China, says : 

“ This sect (of Fo) has another idol they call Sanpao. It consists of three, 
equal in ali respects. This, which has been represented as an image of the Most 
Blessed Trinity, is exactly the same with that which is on the high altar of the 
monastery of the Trinitarians at Madrid. If any Chinese whatsoever saw it, he 
would say that Sanpao of his country was worshiped in these parts.” 

And Mr. Faber, in his “ Origin of Heathen Idolatry,” says: 

“ Among the Chinese, who worship Buddha under the name of Fo, we find 
this God mysteriously multiplied into three persons.” 

The mystic syllable O. M. or A. U. M. is also reverenced by the 
Chinese and Japanese, 4 as we have found it reverenced by the in¬ 
habitants of India. 

The followers of Laou-tsze, or Laou-keum-tsze—a celebrated 
philosopher of China, and deified hero, born 604 b. c. — known as 
the Taou sect, are also worshipers of a Trinity. 5 It was the leading 
feature in Laou-keun’s s} 7 stem of philosophical theology, that Taou, 
the eternal reason, produced one / one produced two / two produced 
three ‘ and three produced all things. 6 This was a sentence which 
Laou-keun continually repeated, and which Mr. Maurice considers, 
“ a most singular axiom for a heathen philosopher.” 7 

The sacred volumes of the Chinese state that: 

“The Source and Root of all is One. This self-existent unity necessarily 
produced a second. The first and second, by their union, produced a third. 
These Three produced all .” 8 

The ancient emperors of China solemnly sacrificed, every three 
years, to “ Him who is One and Three.” 9 

The ancient Egyptians worshiped God in the form of a Trinity, 


1 Davis’ China, voi. ii. p. 104. 

2 Ibid. pp. 103 and 81. 

a Ibid. pp. 105, 106. 

4 Ibid. pp. 103, 81. 

5 Ibid. 110, 111. Bell's Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 
36. Dunlap's Spirit Hist., 150. 

6 Indian Antiquities, vol. v. p. 41. Dupuis, 
p. 285. Dunlap's Spirit Ilist., 150. 

7 Indian Antiquities, vol. v. p. 41. 


This Taou sect, according to John Francis 
Davis, and the Kev. Charles Gutzlaff, both of 
whom have resided in China—call their trinity 
“ the three pure ones,” or “ the three precious 
ones in heaven.” (See Davis’ China, vol. ii. p. 
110, and Gutzlaff's Voyages, p. 307.) 

8 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 210. 

9 Ibid. 





THE TRINITY. 


373 


which was represented in sculptures on the most ancient of their 
temples. The celebrated symbol of the wing, the globe, and the 
serpent, is supposed to have stood for the different attributes of 
God. 1 

The priests of Memphis, in Egypt, explained this mystery to the 
novice, by intimating that the premier (first) monad created the. 
dyad , who engendered the triad , and that it is this triad which 
shines through nature. 

Tlmlis, a great monarch, who at one time reigned over all Egypt, 
and who was in the habit of consulting the oracle of Serapis, is said 
to have addressed the oracle in these words: 

“ Tell me if ever there was before one greater than I, or will ever be one 
greater than me ?” 

The oracle answered thus : 

“First God, afterward the Word, and with them the Iloly Spirit, all these 
are of the same nature, and make but one whole, of which the power is eternal. 
Go away quickly, mortal, thou who hast but an uncertain life .”' 2 3 

The idea of calling the second person in the TrTity the Logos , 
or Word* is an Egyptian feature, and was engrafted into Christi¬ 
anity many centuries after the time of Christ Jesus. 4 * Ajpollo , who 
had his tomb at Delphi in Egypt, was called the Word. 6 

Mr. Bonwick, in his “ Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought,” 
says: 

“ Some persons are prepared to admit that the most astonishing development 
of the old religion of Egypt was in relation to the Logos or Divine Word, by 
whom all things were made, and who, though from God, was God. It had long 
been known that Plato, Aristotle, and others before the Christian era, cherished 
the idea of this Demiurgus ; but it was not known till of late that Chaldeans 
and Egyptians recognized this mysterious principle .” 6 


1 Indian Antiquities, vol. i. p. 127. 

2 Iliggins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 14. 

The following answer is stated by Manetho, 
an Egyptian priest, to have been given by an 
Oracle to Sesostris : “ On his return through 
Africa he entered the sanctuary of the Oracle, 
saying: 4 Tell me, O thou strong in fire, who be¬ 
fore me could subjugate all things ? and who 
shall after me V But the Oracle rebuked him, 
saying, 4 First, God ; then the Word ; and with 
them, the Spirit.' " (Nimrod, vol. i. p. 119, in 
Ibid. vol. i. p. 805.) 

Here we have distinctly enumerated God, 
the Logos, and the Spirit or Holy Ghost, in a 
very early period, long previous to the Christian 
era. 

3 I. John, v. 7. John i. 1. 

* The Alexandrian theology, of which the 

celebrated Plato was the chief representative, 

taught that the Logos was 44 the second God 


a being of divine essence, but distinguished 
from the Supreme God. It is also called 44 the 
first-born Son of God." 

44 The Platonists furnished brilliant recruits 
to the Christian churches of Asia Minor and 
Greece, and brought with them their love for 
system and their idealism.” 44 It is in the 
Platonizing, or Alexandrian, branch of Judaism 
that we must seek for the antecedents of the 
Christian doctrine of the Logos." (A. Reville : 
Dogma Deity Jesus, p. 29.) 

5 Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 102. 
Mithras, the Mediator, and Saviour of the 
Persians, was called the Logos. (See Dunlap’s 
Son of the Man, p. 20. Bunsen’s Angel-Mes- 
siah, p. 75.) Hermes was called the Logos. 
(See Dunlap’s Son of the Man, p. 39, marginal 
note.) 

8 Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 402. 



374 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ The Logos or Word was a great mystery (among the Egyptians), in whose 
sacred books the following passages may be seen: ‘ I know the mystery of the 

divine Word; ’ ‘The Word of the Lord of All, which was the maker of it;’ ‘ The 
Word—this is the first person after himself, uncreated, infinite ruling over all 
things that were made by him.’ 5,1 

The Assyrians liad Marduk for tlieir Logos ; 1 2 one of tlieir sacred 
addresses to him reads thus : 

“ Thou art the powerful one—Thou art the life giver—Thou also the pros- 
perer—Merciful one among the gods—Eldest son of Ilea, who made heaven and 
earth—Lord of heaven and earth, who an equal has not—Merciful one, who dead 
to life raises .” 3 

The Chaldeans had their Memra or “Word of God,” corre¬ 
sponding to the Greek Logos , which designated that being who 
organized and who still governs the world, and is inferior to God 
only. 4 

The Logos was with Philoa most interesting subject of discourse, 
tempting him to wonderful feats of imagination. There is scarcely 
a personifying or exalting epithet that he did not bestow on the 
Divine .Reason. Lie described it as a distinct being; called it “a 
Rock,” “ The Summit of the Universe,” “ Before all things,” “First- 
begotten Son of God,” “Eternal Bread from Heaven,” “Fountain 
of Wisdom,” “Guide to God,” “Substitute for God,” “Image of 
God,” “Priest,” “Creator of the Worlds,” “Second God,” “ Inter¬ 
preter of God,” “ Ambassador of God,” “Power of God,” “King,” 
“ Angel,” “ Man,” “ Mediator,” “ Light,*” “ The Beginning,” “ The 
East,” “ The Hame of God,” “ The Intercessor.” 5 

This is exactly the Logos of John. It becomes a man, “ is made 
flesh ;” appears as an incarnation / in order that the God whom 
u no man lias seen at any time,” may be manifested. 

The worship of God in the form of a Trinity was to be found 
among the ancient Greeks. When the priests were about to offer 
up a sacrifice to the gods, the altar was three times sprinkled by 
dipping a laurel branch in holy water, and the people assembled 
around it were three times sprinkled also. Frankincense was taken 
from the censer with three fingers, and strewed upon the altar three 
times. This was done because an oracle had declared that all sa¬ 
cred things ought to be in threes , therefore, that number was scru¬ 
pulously observed in most religious ceremonies. 0 

Orpheus 7 wrote that: 


1 Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 404. 

2 Ibid. 

3 Ibid. 

4 Ibid. p. 28. 

6 Fnthingham’s Cradle of the Christ, p. 112. 


6 See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 307. 

7 Orpheus is said to have been a native of 
Thracia, the oldest poet of Greece, and lo have 
writ .en before the time of Homer; but he is 
evidi. ntly a mythological character. 





THE TRINITY. 


375 


“ All things were made by One godhead in three names, and that this god 
is all things .” 1 

This Trinitarian view of the Deity he is said to have brought 
from Egypt, and the Christian Fathers of the third and fourth cen¬ 
turies claimed that Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Plato — who taught 
the doctrine of the Trinity — had drawn their theological philosophy 
from the writings of Orpheus. 2 

The works of Plato were extensively studied by the Church 
Fathers, one of whom joyfully recognizes in the great teacher, the 
schoolmaster who, in the fullness of time, was destined to educate 
the heathen for Christ, as Moses did the Jews. 3 * 

The celebrated passage : “ In the beginning was the Word, and 
the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” 1 is a fragment 
of some Pagan treatise on the Platonic philosophy, evidently writ¬ 
ten by Irenaeus. 5 It is quoted by Amelius , a Pagan philosopher, 
as strictly applicable to the Logos, or Mercury, the Word, appa¬ 
rently as an honorable testimony borne to the Pagan deity by a 
• barbarian—for such is what he calls the writer of John i. 1. His 
words are: 

“ This plainly was the Word, by whom all things were made, he being him¬ 
self eternal, as Heraclitus also would say ; and by Jove, the same whom the 
barbarian affirms to have been in the place and dignity of a principal, and to 
be with God, and to be God, by whom all things were made, and in whom 
everything that was made has its life and being .” 6 

The Christian Father, Justin Martyr, apologizing for the Chris¬ 
tian religion, tells the Emperor Antoninus Pius, that the Pagans 
need not taunt the Christians for worshiping the Logos, which “ was 
with God, and was God,” as they were also guilty of the same act . 

“If we (Christians) hold,” says he, “some opinions near of kin to the poets 
and philosophers, in great repute among you, why are we thus unjustly hated?” 
“There’s Mercury, Jove’s interpreter, in imitation of the Logos, in worship 
among you,” and “ as to the Son of God, called Jesus, should we allow him to be 
nothing more than man, yet the title of the ‘ Son of God’ is very justifiable, upon 
the account of his wisdom, considering you have your Mercury, (also called the 
‘ Son of God ’) in worship under the title of the Word and Messenger of God .” 1 

We see, then, that the title “ Word” or “ Logos,” being ap¬ 
plied to Jesus, is another piece of Pagan amalgamation with Chris- 


1 See Indian Antiquities, vol. iv. p. 332, and 
Ta 3 r lors Diegesis, p. 189. 

2 See Chambers’sEncyclo., art. “Orpheus.” 

3 Ibid., art. “Plato.” 

* John, i. 1. 


8 The first that we know of this gospel for 
certain is during the time of Irenams, the great 
Christian forger. 

8 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 185. 

7 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 316. 




376 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


tianity. It did not receive its authorized Christian form until the 
middle of the second century after Christ. 1 

The ancient Pagan Romans worshiped a Trinity. An oracle is 
said to have declared that there was, “first God, then the Word, 
and with them the Spirit.” 2 

Here we see distinctly enumerated, God, the Logos, and the 
Spirit or Holy Ghost, in ancient Pome, where the most celebrated 
temple of this capital — that of Jupiter Capitolinus — was dedicated 
to three deities, which three deities were honored with joint wor¬ 
ship. 3 

The ancient Persians worshiped a Trinity. 4 This trinity con¬ 
sisted of Oromasdes, Mithras, and Ahriman. 5 It was virtually the 
same as that of the Hindoos : Oromasdes was the Creator, Mithras 
was the “ Son of God,” the “ Saviour,” the “ Mediator ” or “ Inter¬ 
cessor,” and Ahriman was the Destroyer. In the oracles of Zoro¬ 
aster the Persian lawgiver, is to be found the following sentence: 

“ A Triad of Deity shines forth through the whole world, of which a Monad 
(an invisible thing) is the head .” 6 

Plutarch, “ De Iside et Osiride,” says : 


“Zoroaster is said to have made a threefold distribution of things : to have 
assigned the first and highest rank to Oromasdes, who, in the Oracles, is called 
the Father ; the lowest to Ahrimanes ; and the middle to Mithras ; who, in the 
same Oracles, is called the second Mind.” 


The Assyrians and Phenicians worshiped a Trinity. 7 
“ It is a curious and instructive fact, that the Jews had symbols 
of the divine Unity in Trinity as well as the Pagans.” 8 The Cabbala 
had its Trinity: “ the Ancient , whose name is sanctified, is with 
three heads, which make but onel 9 
Pabbi Simeon Ben Jocliai says: 


“ Come and see the mystery of the word Elohim : there are three degrees, and 
each degree by itself alone, and yet, notwithstanding, they are all One, and 
joined together in One , and cannot be divided from each other.” 


According to Dr. Parkhurst: 

“ The Vandals 10 had a god called Triglaff. One of these was found at Her- 


1 See Fiske : Myths and Myth-makers, p. 
205. Celsus charges the Christians with a re¬ 
coinage of the misunderstood doctrine of the 
Logos. 

2 See Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 105. 

3 See Indian Antiquities, vol. iii. p. 158. 

4 See Indian Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 346. 

Monumental Christianity, p. 65. and Ancient 

Faiths, vol. ii. p. 810. s Ibid. 


6 Indian Antiquities, vol. iv. p. 259. 

7 See Monumental Christianity, p. 65, and 
Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 819. 

8 Monumental Christianity, p. 923. See also, 
Maurice’s Indian Antiquities. 

9 Idra Suta, Sohar, iii. 288. B. Franck, 138. 
Son of the Man, p. 78. 

10 Vandals —a race of European barbarians, 
either of Germanic or Slavonic origin. 



THE TRINITY. 


377 


tungerberg, near Brandenburg (in Prussia). He was represented with three 
heads. This was apparently the Trinity of Paganism ” 1 

The ancient Scandinavians worshiped a triple deity who was 
yet one god. It consisted of Odin, Thor, and Frey. A triune 
statue representing this Trinity in Unity was found at Upsal in 
Sweden. 2 The three principal nations of Scandinavia (Sweden, 
Denmark, and Norway) vied with each other in erecting temples, 
but none were more famous than the temple at Upsal in Sweden. 
It glittered on all sides with gold. It seemed to be particularly 
consecrated to the Three Superior Deities , Odin, Thor and Frey. 
The statues of these gods were placed in this temple on three 
thrones, one above the other. Odin was represented holding a 
sword in his hand : Thor stood at the left hand of Odin, with a 
crown upon his head, and a scepter in his hand; Frey stood at the 
left hand of Thor, and was represented of both .sexes. ^Odin was 
the supreme God, the At fader ; Thor was the first-begotten son 
of this god, and Frey was the bestower of fertility, peace and riches. 
King Gylfi of Sweden is supposed to have gone at one time to As- 
gard (the abode of the gods), where he beheld three thrones raised 
one above another, with a man sitting on each of them. Upon his 
asking what the names of these lords might be, his guide answered : 
“ lie who sitteth on the lowest throne is the Lofty One / the second 
is the equal to the Lofty One ; and he who sitteth on the highest 
throne is called the Third.”* 

The ancient Druids also worshiped : “ Ain Treidhe Dia ainm 
Taulac , Fan, Mollac; ” which is to say : u Ain triple God, of name 
Taulac, Fan, Mollac.” 4 

The ancient inhabitants of Siberia worshiped a triune God. In 
remote ages, wanderers from India directed their eyes northward, 
and crossing the vast Tartarian deserts, finally settled in Siberia, 
bringing with them the worship of a triune God. This is clearly 
shown from the fact stated by Thomas Maurice, that : 

“The first Christian missionaries -who arrived in those regions, found the 
people already in possession of that fundamental doctrine of the true religion, 
-which, among others, they came to impress upon their minds, and universally 
adored an idol fabricated to resemble, as near as possible, a Trinity in Unity.” 

This triune God consisted of, first “ the Creator of all things,” 
second, “ the God of Armies,” third, “ the Spirit of Heavenly Love,” 
and yet these three were but one indivisible God. 5 

1 Parkhurst: Hebrew Lexicon, Quoted in 3 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities. 

Taylor's Diegesis, p. 216. 4 Celtic Druids, p. 171; Anacalypsis, vol 

2 See Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 1G9. i. p. 123; and Myths of the British Druids, p. 

Maurice: Indian Antiq., vol. v. p. 14, and 448. 

Gross : The Heathen Religion, p. 210. 6 Indian Antiquities, vol. v. pp. 8, 9. 




378 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The Tartars also worshiped God as a Trinity in Unity. On one 
of their medals, which is now in the St. Petersburgh Museum, may 
be seen a representation of the triple God seated on the lotus. 1 

Even in the remote islands of the Pacific Ocean, the supreme 
deities are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, the 
latter of which is symbolized as a bird. 2 

The ancient Mexicans and Peruvians had their Trinity. The 
supreme God of the Mexicans ( Tezcatlipoca ;), who had, as Lord 
Kiugsborough says, “ all the attributes and powers which were as¬ 
signed to Jehovah by the Hebrews,” had associated with him two 
other, gods, Huitzlijpochtli and Tlaloc ; one occupied a place upon 
his left hand, the other on his right. This was the Trinity of the 
Mexicans. 3 

When the bishop Don Bartholomew de las Casas proceeded to 
his bishopric, which was in 1545, he commissioned an ecclesiastic, 
whose name was Francis Hernandez, who was well acquainted with 
the language of the Indians (as the natives were called), to visit 
them, carrying with him a sort of catechism of what he was about 
to preach. In about one year from the time that Francis Hernan¬ 
dez was sent out, he wrote to Bishop las Casas, stating that: 

“ The Indians believed in the God who was in heaven; that this God was the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that the Father was named Yzona, the Son 
Bacab, who was born of a Virgin, and that the Holy Ghost was called Ec- 
hiah .” 4 

The Ilev. Father Acosta says, in speaking of the Peruvians: 

“It is strange that the devil after his manner hath brought a Trinity into 
idolatry, for the three images of the Sun called Apomti, Churunti, and Intiquaoqui, 
signifieth Father and Lord Sun, the Son Sun, and the Brother Sun. 

“ Being in Chuquisaca, an honorable priest showed me an information, which 
I had long in my hands, where it w T as proved that there was a certain oratory, 
whereat the Indians did worship an idol called Tangatanga , which they said was 
‘ One in Three, and Three in One.’ And as this priest stood amazed thereat, I 
said that the devil by his infernal and obstinate pride (whereby he always pre¬ 
tends to make himself God) did steal all that he could from the truth, to employ 
it in his lying and deceits .” 5 

The doctrine was recognized among the Indians of the Cali¬ 
fornian peninsula. The statue of the principal deity of the New 
Granadian Indians had “ three heads on one body,” and was under¬ 
stood to be “ three persons with one heart and one will.” 6 


1 Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 48. 

2 Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 169. 

3 Squire : Serpent Symbol, pp-. 179, 180. 
Mexican Ant., vol. vi. p. 164. 

4 Kingsborough : Mexican Antiquities, vol. 


vi. p. 164. 

5 Acosta : Hist. Indies, vol. ii. p. 373. See 
also, Indian Antiq., vol. v. p. 26, and Squire’s 
Serpent Symbol, p. 181. 

6 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 181. 






THE TRINITY. 


379 


The result of our investigations then, is that, for ages before 
the time of Christ Jesus or Christianity, God was worshiped in the 
form of a Triad, and that this doctrine was extensively diffused 
through all nations. That it was established in regions as far dis¬ 
tant as China and Mexico, and immemorially acknowledged through 
the whole extent of Egypt and India. That it flourished with equal 
vigor among the snowy mountains of Thibet, and the vast deserts 
of Siberia. That the barbarians of central Europe, the Scandinavi¬ 
ans, and the Druids of Britain and Ireland, bent their knee to an 
idol of a Triune God. What then becomes of “ the Ever-Blessed 
Trinity” of Christianity? It must fall, together with all the rest 
of its dogmas, and be buried with the Pagan debris. 

The learned Thomas Maurice imagined that this mysterious 
doctrine must have been revealed by God to Adam, or to Noah, or 
to Abraham, or to somebody else. Notice with what caution he 
wrote (a. d. 1794) on this subject. He says : 

“In the course of tlie wide range which I have been compelled to take in the 
field of Asiatic mythology, certain topics have arisen for discussion, equally deli¬ 
cate and perplexing. Among them, in particular, a species of Trinity forms a 
constant and prominent feature in nearly all the systems of Oriental theology.” 

After saying, “ 1 venture with a trembling step” and that, “ It 
was not from choice , but from necessity , that I entered thus upon 
this subject,” he concludes : 

“This extensive and interesting subject engrosses a considerable portion of 
this work, and my anxiety to prepare the public mind to receive it, my efforts to 
elucidate so mystenous a point of theology, induces me to remind the candid 
reader, that visible traces of this doctrine are discovered, not only in the three 
principals of the Chaldaic theology ; in the Triplasios Mitlira of Persia ; in the 
Triad, Brahma, Yishnu, and Siva, of India—where it was evidently promul¬ 
gated in the Geeta, fifteen hundred years before the birth of Plato -,' 1 but in the Nu- 
men Triplex of Japan ; in the inscription upon the famous medal found in the 
deserts of Siberia, “ To the Triune God,” to be seen at this day in the valuable 
cabinet of the Empress, at St. Petersburgh ; in the Tanga-Tanga, or Three 
in One, of the South Americans ; and, finally, without mentioning the vestiges of 
it in Greece, in the Symbol of the Wing, the Globe, and the Serpent, conspicu¬ 
ous on most of the ancient temples of Upper Egypt .” 2 

It was a long time after tlie followers of Christ Jesus liad made 
him a God, before they ventured to declare that he was “ God him - 


i The ideas entertained concerning the 
antiquity of the Geeta, at the time Mr. Maurice 
wrote his Indian Antiquities, were erroneous. 
This work, as we have elsewhere seen, is not 
as old as he supposed. The doctrine of the 
Tnmurti in India, however, is to be found in 
the Veda, and epic poems, which are of an an¬ 
tiquity long anterior to the rise of Christianity, 
preceding it by many centuries. (See Monier 


Williams’ Indian Wisdom, p. 324, and Hindu¬ 
ism, pp. 109, 110-115.) 

“The grand cavern pagoda of Elephanta, 
the oldest and most magnificent temple in the 
world, is neither more nor less than a superb 
temple of a Triune God.” (Maurice : Indian 
Antiquities, vol. iii. p. ix.) 

2 Indian Antiquities, vol. i. pp. 125-127. 




380 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


self in human form” and, u the second person in the Ever-Blessed 
Trinity .” It was Justin Martyr, a Christian convert from the Pla¬ 
tonic school / who, about the middle of the second century, first 
promulgated the opinion, that Jesus of Nazareth, the “ Son of (rod, 5 
was the second principle in the Deity, and the Creator of all mate¬ 
rial things. lie is the earliest writer to whom the opinion can be 
traced. This knowledge, he does not ascribe to the Scriptures, 

but to the special favor of God. 1 2 

The passage in I. John, v. 7, which reads thus : u For there are 
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the 
Holy Ghost, and these three are one,” is one of the numerous inter¬ 
polations which were inserted into the hooks of the New Testament , 
many years after these hooks were written . 3 These passages are 
retained and circulated as the word of God , or as of equal authority 
with the rest, though known and admitted by the learned on all 
hands, to be forgeries, willful and wicked interpolations. 

The subtle and profound questions concerning the nature, gen¬ 
eration, the distinction, and the quality of the three divine persons 
of the mysterious triad, or Trinity, were agitated in the philosophical 
and in the Christian schools of Alexandria in Egypt , 4 but it was 
not a part of the established Christian faith until as late as a. d. 327, 
when the question was settled at the Councils of Nice and Constan¬ 
tinople. Up to this time there was no understood and recognized 
doctrine on this high subject. The Christians were for the most 
part accustomed to us escriptural expressions in speaking of the 
Father, and the Son, and the Spirit, without defining articulately 
their relation to one another. 6 

In these trinitarian controversies, which first broke out in Egypt 
— Egypt, the land of Trinities — the chief point in the discussion 
was to define the position of “ the Son.” 

There lived in Alexandria a presbyter of the name of Arius, 
a disappointed candidate for the office of bishop. He took the 


1 We have already seen that Plato and his 
followers taught the doctrine of the Trinity 
centuries before the time of Christ Jesus. 

2 Israel Worsley's Enquiry, p. 54. Quoted 
in Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 116. 

3 “The memorable text (I. John v. 7) which 
asserts the unity of the three which bear wit¬ 
ness in heaven, is condemned by the universal 
silence of the orthodox Fathers, ancient ver¬ 
sions, and authentic manuscripts. It was first 
alleged by the Catholic Bishop whom Hunneric 
summoned to the Conference of Carthage (a.d. 
254), or, more properly, by the four bishops 

who composed and published the profession of 
faith in the name of their brethren.” (Gib¬ 


bon’s Rome, vol. iii. p. 556, and note 117.) 
None of the ancient manuscripts now extant, 
above four-score in number, contain this jias- 
sage. (Ibid, note 116.) In the eleventh and 
twelfth centuries, the Bible was corrected. 
Yet, notwithstanding these corrections, the pas¬ 
sage is still wanting in twenty-five Latin man¬ 
uscripts. (Ibid, note 116. See also. Dr.-Giles’ 
Hebrew and Christian Records, vol. ii. p. 12. 
Dr. Inman's Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 886. 
Rev. Robert Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 421, nnd 
Rcber’s Christ of Paul.) 

4 See Gibbon’s Rome, ii. 309. 

6 Chambers’s Encyclo., art. “ Trinity.” 



THE TRINITY. 


381 


ground that there was a time when, from the very nature of Son- 
ship, the Son did not exist, and a time at which he commenced to 
be, asserting that it is the necessary condition of the filial relation 
that a father must be older than his son. But this assertion evi¬ 
dently denied the co-eternity of the three persons of the Trinity, it 
suggested a subordination or inequality among them, and indeed 
implied a time when the Trinity did not exist. Hereupon, the 
bishop, who had been the successful competitor against Arius, dis¬ 
played his rhetorical powers in public debates on the question, and, 
the strife spreading, the Jews and Pagans, who formed a very large 
portion of the population of Alexandria, amused themselves with 
theatrical representations of the contest on the stage — the point of 
their burlesques being the -equality of age of the Father and the 
Son. Such was the violence the controversy at length assumed, 
that the matter had to be referred to the emperor (Constantine). 

At first he looked upon the dispute as altogether frivolous, and 
perhaps in truth inclined to the assertion of Arius, that in the very 
nature of the thing a father must be older than his son. So great, 
however, was the pressure laid upon him, that he was eventually 
compelled to summon the Council of Nicea, which, to dispose of 
the conflict, set forth a formulary or creed, and attached to it this 
anathema: 

“The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes those who say that 
there was a lime when the Son of God was not, and that, before he was begot¬ 
ten, he was not, and that, he was made out of nothing, or out of another sub¬ 
stance or essence, and is created, or changeable, or alterable.” 

Constantine at once enforced the decision of the council by the 
civil power. 1 

Even after this “ subtle and profound question ” had been 
settled at the Council of Nice, those who settled it did not under¬ 
stand the question they had settled. Athanasius, who was a mem¬ 
ber of the first general council, and who is said to have written the 
creed which bears his name, which asserts that the true Catholic 
faith is this : 

“That we worship One God as Trinity, and Trinity in Unity—neither con¬ 
founding the persons nor dividing the substance—for there is one person of the 
Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost, but the Godhead of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one, the glory equal, the 
majesty co-eternal,” 

—also confessed that whenever he forced his understanding to 


1 Draper : Religion and Science, pp. 53, 54. 




382 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


meditate on the divinity of the Logos, his toilsome and unavailing 
efforts recoiled on themselves; that the more he thought the less he 
comprehended / and the more he wrote the less capable was he of 
expressing his thoughts. 1 

We see, then, that this great question was settled, not by the 
consent of all members of the council, but simply because the 
majority were in favor of it. Jesus of Nazareth was “ God himself 
in human form “ one of the persons of the Ever-Blessed Trinity,” 
who “ had no beginning, and will have no end,” because the major¬ 
ity of the members of this council said so. Hereafter—so it was 
decreed— all must believe it / if not, they must not oppose it, but 
forever hold their peace. 

The Emperor Theodosius declared his resolution of expelling 
from all the churches of his dominions, the bishops and their clergy 
who should obstinately refuse to believe, or at least to profess, the 
doctrine of the Council of Nice. His lieutenant, Sapor, was armed 
with the ample powers of a general law, a special commission, and 
a military force; and this ecclesiastical resolution was conducted 
with so much discretion and vigor , that the religion of the Emperor 
was established . a 

Here we have the historical fact, that bishops of the Christian 
church, and their clergy, were forced to prof ess their belief in the 
doctrine of the Trinity. 

We also find that: 

“ This orthodox Emperor (Theodosius) considered every heretic (as lie called 
those -who did not believe as he and his ecclesiastics professed) as a rebel against 
the supreme powers of heaven and of earth (he being one of the supreme 
powers of earth) and each of the powers might exercise their peculiar jurisdiction 
over the soul and body of the guilty. 

“ The decrees of the Council of Constantinople had ascertained the true 
standard of the faith, and the ecclesiastics, who governed the conscience of Theodo¬ 
sius, suggested the most effectual methods of persecution. In the space of fifteen 
years he promulgated at least fifteen severe edicts against the heretics, more es¬ 
pecially against those who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity .” 3 

Thus we see one of the many reasons why the “ most holy 
Christian religion ” spread so rapidly. 

Arius—who declared that in the nature of things a father must 
be older than his son—was excommunicated for his so-called heret¬ 
ical notions concerning the Trinity. His followers, who were very 


1 Athanasius, tom. i. p. 808. Quoted in frankly pronounced it to be the work of a 

Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p. 310. drunken man. (Gibbon's Rome, vol. iii. p. 555, 

Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople, was note 114.) 
so much amazed by the extraordinary compo- 2 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iii. p. 87. 
sition called “Athanasius’ Creed,” that he 3 Ibid. pp. 91, 9.2. 




THE TRINITY. 


383 


numerous, were called Arians. Their writings, if they had been per¬ 
mitted to exist, 1 would undoubtedly contain the lamentable story of 
the persecution which affected the church under the reign of the 
impious Emperor Theodosius. 


1 A)1 their writings were ordered to be destroyed, and any one found to have them in his 
possession was severely punished. 



CHAPTER XXXYI. 


PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


Our assertion that that which is called Christianity is nothing 
more than the religion of Paganism, we consider to have been fully 
verified. We have found among the heathen, centuries before the 
time of Christ Jesus, the belief in an incarnate God born of a vir¬ 
gin ; his previous existence in heaven; the celestial signs at the 
time of his birth ; the rejoicing in heaven ; the adoration by the 
magi and shepherds; the offerings of precious substances to the 
divine child ; the slaughter of the innocents ; the presentation at 
the temple ; the temptation by the devil; the performing of mira¬ 
cles ; the crucifixion by enemies; and the death, resurrection, and 
ascension into heaven. We have also found the belief that this 
incarnate God was from all eternity ; that lie was the Creator of the 
world, and that he is to be Judge of the dead at the last day. We 
have also seen the practice of Baptism, and the sacrament of the 
Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, added to the belief in a Triune God, 
consisting of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Let us now compare 
the Christian creed with ancient Pagan belief. 


Christian Creed . 

1. I believe in God the Father Al¬ 
mighty, maker of heaven and earth : 

2. And in Jesus Christ, his only 
Son, Our Lord. 

3. Who was conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, 

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
was crucified, dead and buried. 


Ancient Pagan Belief. 

1. I believe in God the Father Al¬ 
mighty, maker of heaven and earth : l 

2. And in his only Son, our Lord. 2 

3. Who was conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. 3 

4. Suffered under (whom it might 
be), was crucified, dead, and buried. 4 


1 “ Before the separation of the Aryan race, 
before the existence of Sanscrit, Greek, or 
Latin, before the gods of the Veda had been 
worshiped, one supresie deity had been 

found, had been named, and had been invoked 

by the ancestors of our race.” (Prof. Max 
Muller : The Science of Religion, p. 67.) 

4 See Chap. XX., 1 


2 See Chap. XII. and Chap. XX., for Only- 
begotten Sons. 

3 See Chap. XII. and Chap. XXXII., where 
we have shown that many other virgin-born 
gods were conceived by the Holy Ghost, and 
that the name Mary is the same as Maia, 
Maya, Myrra, &c. 

Crucified Saviours. 


[384] 





PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


385 


5. He descended into Ilell ; 

C. The third day he rose again from 
the dead ; 

7. He ascended into Heaven, and 
sitteth on the right hand of* God the 
Father Almighty ; 

8. From thence he shall come to 
judge the quick and the dead. 

9. I believe in the Holy Ghost ; 

10. The Holy Catholic Church, the 
Communion of Saints ; 

11. The forgiveness of sins ; 

12. The resurrection of the body ; 
and the life everlasting. 


5. He descended into Hell j 1 

6. The third day he rose again from 
the dead ; 2 

7. He ascended into Heaven, and 
sitteth on the right hand of God the 
Father Almighty ; 3 

8. From thence he shall come to 
judge the quick and the dead. 4 

9. I believe in the Holy Ghost ; 5 

10. The Holy Catholic Church, 6 the 
Communion of Saints ; 

11. The forgiveness of sins ; 7 

12. The resurrection of the body ; 
and the life everlasting. 8 


The above is the so-called “ Apostles’ Creed” as it now stands 
in the book of common prayer of the United Church of England 
and Ireland, as by law established. 

It is affirmed by Ambrose, that: 


“ The twelve apostles, as skilled artificers, assembled together, and made a 
key by their common advice, that is, the Creed, by which the darkness of the 
devil is disclosed, that the light of Christ may appear.” 


Others fable that every Apostle inserted an article, by which 
the Creed is divided into twelve articles. 

The earliest account of its origin we have from Ruffinus, an 
historical compiler and traditionist of th q fourth century, but not 
in the form in which it is known at present, it having been added 
to since that time. The most important addition is that which 
affirms that Jesus descended into hell, which has been added since 
a.d. 600. 9 


1 See Chap. XXII. 

2 See Chaps. XXII. and XXXIX., for Resur¬ 
rected Saviours. 

3 See Ibid. 

< See Chap. XXIV., and Chap. XXV. 

8 See Chap. XII., and Chap. XXXV. 

6 That is, the holy true Church. All peoples 
who have had a religion believe that theirs 
was the Catholic faith. 

7 There Mas no nation of antiquity who did 
not believe in “the forgiveness of sins,” 
especially if some innocent creature redeemed 
them by the shedding of his blood (see Chap. 
IV., and Chap. XX.), and as far as confession 
of sins is concerned, and thereby being for¬ 
given, this too is almost as old as humanity. 
Father Acosta found it even among the Mex¬ 
icans, and said that “ the father of lies (the 
Devil) counterfeited the sacrament of con¬ 
fession, so that he might be honored with 
ceremonies very like the Christians.” (See 
Acosta, vol. ii. p. 360.) 

8 “ No doctrine except that of a supreme 


and subtly-pervading deity, is so extended, 
and has retained its primitive form so dis¬ 
tinctly, as a belief in immortality , and a future 
state of rewards and punishments. Among 
the most savage races, the idea of a future 
existence in a place of delight is found.” 
(Kenneth R. II. Mackenzie.) 

“Go back far as we may in the history 
of the Indo-European race, of which the 
Greeks and Italians are branches, and we do 
not find that this race has ever thought that 
after this short life all was finished for man. 
The most ancient generations, long before 
there were philosophers, believed in a second 
existence after the present. They looked upon 
death not as a dissolution of our being, but 
simply as a change of life.” (M. De Coulanges: 
The Ancient City, p. 15.) 

9 For full information on this subject see 
Archbishop Wake's Apostolic Fathers, p. 103, 
Justice Bailey's Common Prayer, Taylor’s 
Diegesis, p. 10, and Chambers's Encyclo., art. 
“ Creeds.” 



386 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Beside what we have already seen, the ancient Pagans had 
many beliefs and ceremonies which are to be found among the 
Christians. One of these is the story of “The War in Heaven .” 

The New Testament version is as follows : 

“There was a war in heaven : Michael and his angels fought against the 
dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was 
their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that 
old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was 
cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” 1 

The cause of the revolt, it is said, was that Satan, who was then 
an angel, desired to be as great as God. The writer of Isaiah, xiv. 
13, 14, is supposed to refer to it when he says : 

“ Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my 
throne above the stars of God ; I will sit also upon the mount of the congrega¬ 
tion in the sides of the North ; I will ascend before the heights of the clouds ; 
I will be like the Most High.” 

The Catholic theory of the fall of the angels is as follows: 

“In the beginning, before the creation of heaven and earth, God made the 
angels, free intelligences, and free wills, out of his love He made them, that they 
might be eternally happy. And that their happiness might be complete, he gave 
them the perfection of a created nature, that is, he gave them freedom. But 
happiness is only attained by the freewill agreeing in its freedom to accord with 
the will of God. Some of the angels by an act of free will obeyed the will of 
God, and in such obedience found perfect happiness. Other angels, by an act of 
free will, rebelled against the will of God, and in such disobedience found 
misery.” 2 

They were driven out of heaven, after having a combat with 
the obedient angels, and cast into hell. The writer of second Peter 
alludes to it in saying that God spared not the angels that sinned, 
but cast them down into hell. 3 

The writer of Jude also alludes to it in saying: 

“ The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, 
he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the 
great day.” 4 

According to the Talmudists , Satan, wdiose proper name is 
feammael, was one of the Seraphim of heaven, with six wings. 

‘' He was not driven out of heaven until after he had led Adam and Eve into sin • 
then Sammael and his host were precipitated out of the place of bliss, with God’s 
curse to weigh them down. In the struggle between Michael and Sammael, the 
falling Seraph caught the wings of Michael, and tried to drag him down with 
him, but God saved him, when Michael derived his name,—the Rescued.” 5 


1 ^v. xi. 7-9. 4 Jnde, 6. 

= S. Baring-Gouid : Legends of Patriarchs, * S. Baring-Gould : Legends of Patriarchs 
P- 25. p. 16. 

8 II. Peter, ii. 4. 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


387 


Sammael was formerly chief among the angels of God, and now 
he is prince among devils. His name is derived from Simme, 
which means, to blind and deceive. lie stands on the left side of 
men. He goes by various names ; such as “ The Old Serpent,” 
“ The Unclean Spirit,” “Satan,” “Leviathan,” and sometimes also 
“ Asael.” 1 

According to Hindoo mythology, there is a legion of evil 
spirits called Raksliasas , who are governed by a prince named 
Havana. These Rakshasas are continually aiming to do injury to 
mankind, and are the same who fought desperate battles with 
Indra , and his Spirits of Light. They would have taken his para¬ 
dise by storm, and subverted the whole order of the universe, if 
Brahma had not sent Vishnou to circumvent their plans. 

In the Aitareya-brahmana (Hindoo) written, according to Prof. 
Monier Williams, seven or eight centuries b. c., we have the 
following legend: 

“ The gods and demons were engaged in warfare. 

The evil demons, like to mighty kings, 

Made these worlds castles ; then they formed the earth 

Into an iron citadel, the air 

Into a silver fortress, and the sky 

Into a fort of gold. Whereat the gods 

Said to each other, * Frame me other worlds 

In opposition to these fortresses.’ 

Then they constructed sacrificial places, 

Where they performed a triple burnt oblation. 

By the first sacrifice they drove the demons 
Out of their earthly fortress, by the second 
Out of the air, and by the third oblation 
Out of the sky. Thus were the evil spirits 
Chased by the gods in triumph from the worlds.’' 2 3 

The ancient Egyptians were familiar with the tale of the war 
in heaven; and the legend of the revolt against the god Ha, the 
Heavenly Father, and his destruction of the revolters, was discov¬ 
ered by M. Naville in one of the tombs at Biban-el-moluk. 8 

The same story is to be found among the ancient Persian 
legends, and is related as follows : 

“ Ahriman, the devil, was not created evil by the eternal one, but he became 
evil by revolting against his will. This revolt resulted in a ‘ war in heaven.’ In 
this war the Reds (good angels) fought against the Divs (rebellious ones) headed 
by Ahriman , and flung the conquered into Douzahk or hell.” 4 


1 S. Baring-Gould : Legends of Patriarchs, 
p. 17. 

2 Indian Wisdom, p. 32. 

3 See Renonf’s Hibbert Lectures, p. 105. 


Dupuis : Origin of Relig. Beliefs, p. 73, and 
Baring-Gould’s Legends of the Prophets, p. 19. 

4 S. Baring-Gould’s Legends of Patriarchs, 
p. 19. 



388 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


An extract from tlie Persian Zend-avcsta reads as follows : 

*' Ahriman interrupted the order of the universe, raised an army against Or- 
muzd, and having maintained a fight against him during ninety days, was at 
length vanquished by Honover, the divine Word. ’ 1 

The Assyrians liad an account of a war in heaven, which was 
like that described in the book of Enoch and the Revelation. 2 

This legend was also to be found among the ancient Greeks, in 
the struggle of the Titans against Jupiter. Titan and all his rebel¬ 
lious host were cast out of heaven, and imprisoned in the dark 
abyss. 3 

Anong the legends of the ancient Mexicans was found this same 
story of the war in heaven, and the downfall of the rebellious 
angels. 4 

“ The natives of the Caroline Islands (in the North Pacific 
Ocean), related that one of the inferior gods, named Merogrog , was 
driven by the other gods out of heaven.” 5 

We see, therefore, that this also was an almost universal legend. 

The belief in a future life was almost universal among nations 
of antiquity. The Hindoos have believed from time immemorial 
that man has an invisible body within the material body; that is, a 
soul. 

Among the ancient Egyptians the same belief was to be found. 
All the dead, both men and women, were spoken of as “ Osirianaf 
by which they intended to signify “ gone to Osiris.” 

Their belief in One Supreme Being, and the immortality of 
the soul, must have been very ancient; for on a monument, which 
dates ages before Abraham is said to have lived, is found this 
epitaph: “ May thy soul attain to the Creator of all mankind.” 
Sculptures and paintings in these grand receptacles of the dead, as 
translated by Champollion, represent the deceased ushered into the 
world of spirits by funeral deities, who announce, “ A soul arrived 
in Amenti.” 6 

The Hindoo idea of a subtile invisible body within the material 
body, reappeared in the description of Greek poets. They repre¬ 
sented the constitution of man as consisting of three principles: 
the soul, the invisible body, and the material body. The invisible 
body they called the ghost or shade, and considered it as the ma¬ 
terial portion of the soul. At death, the soul, clothed in this sub- 

1 Priestley, p. 35. 4 See Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 31. 

2 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 411. 6 S. Baring-Gould’s Legends of Patriarchs, 

3 See Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 819. p. 20. 

Taylor's Diegesis, p. 215, and Dupuis: Origin 6 See Bunsen's Angel-Messiah, p. 159, and 

of Relig. Beliefs, p. 73. , Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


389 


tile body, went to enjoy paradise for a season, or suffer in hell till 
its sins were expiated. This paradise was called the u Elysian 
Fields,” and the hell was called Tartarus. 

The paradise, some supposed to be a part of the lower world, 
some placed them in a middle zone in the air, some in the moon, 
and others in far-off isles in the ocean. There shone more glorious 
sun and stars than illuminated this world. The day was always 
serene, the air forever pure, and a soft, celestial light clothed all 
things in transfigured beauty. Majestic groves, verdant meadows, 
and blooming gardens varied the landscape. The river Eridanus 
flowed through winding banks fringed with laurel. On its borders 
lived heroes who had died for their country, priests who had led a 
pure life, artists who had embodied genuine beauty in their work, 
and poets who had .never degraded their muse with subjects un¬ 
worthy of Apollo. There each one renewed the pleasures in which 
lie formerly delighted. Orpheus, in long white robes, made en¬ 
rapturing music on his lyre, while others danced and sang. The 
husband rejoined his beloved wife; old friendships were renewed, 
the poet repeated his verses, and the charioteer managed his horses. 

Some souls wandered in vast forests between Tartarus and 
Elysium, not good enough for one, or bad enough for the other. 
Some were purified from their sins by exposure to searching winds, 
others by being submerged in deep waters, others by passing through , 
intense fires. After along period of probation and suffering, many ! 
of them gained the Elysian Eields. This belief is handed down to 
our day in the Roman Catholic idea of Piirgatory. 

A belief in the existence of the soul after death was indicated 
in all periods of history of the world, by the fact that man was 
always accustomed to address prayers to the spirits of their an¬ 
cestors. 1 

These heavens and hells where men abode after death, vary, 
in different countries, according to the likes and dislikes of each 
nation. 

All the Teutonic nations held to a fixed Elysium and a hell, 
where the valiant and the just were rewarded, and where the 
cowardly and the wicked suffered punishment. As all nations have 
made a god, and that god has resembled the persons who made it, 
so have all nations made a heaven, and that heaven corresponds to 
the fancies of the people who have created it. 

In the prose Edda there is a description of the joys of Valhalla 

1 This subject is most fully entered into by Mr. Herbert Spencer, in vol. i. of “ Principles 
of Sociology.” 




390 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


(the Hall of the Chosen), which states that: “ All men who have 
fallen in tight since the beginning of the world are gone to Odin 
(the Supreme God), in Valhalla.” A mighty band of men are 
there, “and every day, as soon as they have dressed themselves, 
they ride out into the court (or field), and there fight until they cut 
each other into pieces. This is their pastime, but when the meal- 
tide approaches, they remount their steeds, and return to drink in 
Valhalla. As it is said (in Vaf thrudnis-mal): 

‘ The Einlierjar all 
On Odin’s plain 
Hew daily each other, 

While chosen the slain are. 

From the frey they then ride, 

And drink ale with tlieiEsir.’ ” l 

This description of the palace of Odin is a natural picture of the 
manners of the ancient Scandinavians and Germans. Prompted 
by the wants of their climate, and the impulse of their own temper¬ 
ament, they formed to themselves a delicious paradise in their own 
way ; where they were to eat and drink, and fight. The women, 
to whom they assigned a place there, were introduced for no other 
purpose but to fill their cups. 

The Mohammedan paradise differs from this. Women there , 
are for man’s pleasure. The day is always serene, the air forever 
pure, and a soft celestial light clothes all things in transfigured 
beaut} 7 . Majestic groves, verdant meadows, and blooming gardens 
vary the landscape. There, in radiant halls, dwell the departed, 
ever blooming and beautiful, ever laughing and gay. 

The American Indian calculates upon finding successful chases 
after wild animals, verdant plains, and n'o winter, as the character¬ 
istics of his “ future life.” 

The red Indian, when told by amissionary that in the “ promised 
land ” they would neither eat, drink, hunt, nor marry a wife, con¬ 
temptuously replied, that instead of wishing to go there, he should 
deem his residence in such a place as the greatest possible calamity. 
Many not only rejected such a destiny for themselves, but were 
indignant at the attempt to decoy their children into such a com¬ 
fortless region. 

All nations of the earth have had their heavens. As Moore 
observes: 

“ A heaven, too, ye must have, ye lords of dust— 

A splendid paradise, poor souls, ye must: 


1 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, p. 429. 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


391 


That prophet ill sustains his holy call 
Who finds not heavens to suit the tastes of all. 

Yain things ! as lust or vanity inspires, 

The heaven of each is but what each desires." 

Heaven was born of the sky, 1 and nurtured by cunning priests, 
wlio made man a coward and a slave. 

Tldl was built by priests, and nurtured by the fears and servile 
fancies of man during the ages when dungeons of torture were a 
recognized part of every government, and when God was supposed 
to be an infinite tyrant, with infinite resources of vengeance. 

The devil is an imaginary being, invented by primitive man to 
account for the existence of evil, and relieve God of his responsi¬ 
bility. The famous Hindoo Bakshasas of our Aryan ancestors— 
the dark and evil clouds personified—are the originals of all devils. 
The cloudy shape has assumed a thousand different forms, horrible 
or grotesque and ludicrous, to suit the changing fancies of the ages. 

But strange as it may appear, the god of one nation became the 
devil of another. 

The rock of Behistun, the sculptured chronicle of the glories 
of Darius, king of Persia, situated on the western frontier of Me¬ 
dia, on the high-road from Babylon to the eastward, was used as a 
“ holy of holies.” It was named Bagistane — “ the place of the 
Baga ” — referring to Ormuzd, chief of the Bagas. When exam¬ 
ined with the lenses of linguistic science, the “Bogie” or “Bug-a- 
boo” or “ Bugbear ” of nursery lore, turns out to be identical with 
the Slavonic “ Bog” and the “ Baga” of the cuneiform inscrip¬ 
tions, both of which are names of the Supreme Being. It is found 
also in the old Aryan “ Bhaga” who is described in a commentary 
of the Big- Veda as the lord of life, the giver of bread, and the 
bringer of happiness. Thus, the same name which, to the Vedic 
poet, to the Persian of the time of Xerxes, and to the modern Rus¬ 
sian, suggests the supreme majesty of deity, is in English associated 
with an ugly and ludicrous fiend. Another striking illustration is 
to be found in the word devil itself. When traced back to its 
primitive source, it is found to be a name of the Supreme Being. 2 

The ancients had a great number of festival days, many of which 
are handed down to the present time, and are to be found in Christi¬ 
anity. 

We have already seen that the 25th of December was almost a 
universal festival among the ancients; so it is the same with the 
spring festivals, when days of fasting are observed. 


1 See Appendix C. 


2 See Fiske, pp. 104-107. 






392 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The Hindoos hold a festival, called Siva-ratri , in honor of Siva, 
about the middle or end of February. A strict fast is observed 
during the day. They have also a festival in April, when a strict 
fast is kept by some. 1 

At the spring equinox most nations of antiquity set apart a day 
to implore the blessings of their god, or gods, on the fruits of the 
earth. At the autumnal equinox, they offered the fruits of the har¬ 
vest, and returned thanks. In China, these religious solemnities 
are called “ Festivals of gratitude to Tien.” 2 The last named cor¬ 
responds to our “ Thanksgiving ” celebration. 

One of the most considerable festivals held by the ancient Scan¬ 
dinavians was the spring celebration. This was held in honor of 
Odin, at the beginning of spring, in order to welcome in that pleas¬ 
ant season, and to obtain of their god happy success in their pro¬ 
jected expeditions. 

Another festival was held toward the autumn equinox, when 
they were accustomed to kill all their cattle in good condition, and 
Jay in a store of provision for the winter. This festival was also 
attended with religious ceremonies, when Odin, the supreme god, 
was thanked for what he had given them, by having his altar loaded 
with the fruits of their crops, and the choicest products of the 
earth. 3 

There was a grand celebration in Egypt, called the “ Feast of 
Lamps,” held at Sais, in honor of the goddess Keith. Those who 
did not attend the ceremony, as well as those who did, burned lamps 
before their houses all night, filled with oil and salt: thus all Egypt 
was illuminated. It was deemed a great irreverence to the goddess 
for any one to omit this ceremony. 4 

The Hindoos also held a festival in honor of the goddesses Laksli- 
mi and Bhavanti, called “ The feast of Lamps™ This festival has 
been handed down to the present time in what is called “ Candlemas 
day,” or the purification of the Virgin Mary. 

The most celebrated Pagan festival held by modem Christians 
is that known as “ Sunday ,” or the “ Lord’s day.” 

All the principal nations of antiquity kept the seventh day of the 
week as a “ holy day,” just as the ancient Israelites did. This was 
owing to the fact that they consecrated the days of the week to the 
Sun, the Moon, and the five planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, 
and Saturn. The seventh day was sacred to Saturn from time im- 


1 Williams’ Hinduism, pp. 182, 183. 

2 See Trog. Iielig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 216. 


3 See Mailet’s Northern Antiquities, p. 111. 

4 See Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 466. 

5 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 184. 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


393 


memorial. Homer and Hesiod call it the “ Holy Day.” 1 The 
people generally visited the temples of the gods, on that day, and 
offered up their prayers and supplications. 2 The Acadians, thou¬ 
sands of years ago, kept holy the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of each 
month as Solum (rest), on which certain works were forbidden. 3 
The Arabs anciently worshiped Saturn under the name of Hobal. 
In his hands he held seven arrows, symbols of the planets that pre¬ 
side over the seven days of the week. 4 The Egyptians assigned a 
day of the week to the sun, moon, and five planets, and the number 
seven was held there in great reverence. 5 

The planet Saturn very early became the chief deity of Semitic 
religion. Moses consecrated the number seven to him. 6 

In the old conception, which finds expression in the Decalogue 
in Deuteronomy (v. 15), the Sabbath has a purely theocratic signifi¬ 
cance, and is intended to remind the Hebrews of their miraculous 
deliverance from the land of Egypt and bondage. When the story 
of Creation was borrowed from the Babylonians , the celebration 
of the Sabbath was established on entirely new grounds (Ex. xx. 11), 
for we find it is because the “ Creator,” after his six days of work, 
rested on the seventh, that the day should be kept holy. 

The Assyrians kept this day holy. Mr. George Smith says : 

“ In the year 1869, I discovered among other things a curious religious calen¬ 
dar of the Assyrians, in which every month is divided into four weeks, and the 
seventh days or ‘ Sabbaths,' are marked out as days on which no work should 
be undertaken. 7 

The ancient Scandinavians consecrated one day in the week to 
their Supreme God, Odin or Wo din.* Even at the present time 
we call this day Odin’s-day. 9 

The question now arises, how was the great festival day changed 


1 “ The Seventh day was sacred to Saturn 
throughout the East.” (Dunlap’s Spirit Hist., 
pp. 35, 36. 

“ Saturn’s day was made sacred to God, 
and the planet is now called cochab shabbath, 
‘The Sabbath Star.’ 

“ The sanctification of the Sabbath is clearly 
connected with the word Shabua or Sheba, 
i. e., seven." (Inman’s Anct, Faiths, vol. ii. p. 
504.) “ The Babylonians, Egyptians, Chinese, 

and the natives of India, were acquainted with 
the seven days’ division of time, as were the 
ancient Druids.” (Bonwiclt’s Egyptian Belief, 
p. 412.) “ With the Egyptians the Seventh 

day was consecrated to God the Father.” 
(Ibid.) “ Hesiod, Herodotus, Philostratus, &c., 
mention that day. Homer, Callimachus, and 
other ancient writers call the Seventh day the 
Holy One. Eusebius confesses its observance 


by almost all philosophers and poets.” (Ibid.) 

2 Ibid. 

3 Ibid. p. 413. 

4 Pococke Specimen : Hist. Arab., p. 97. 
Quoted in Dunlap’s Spirit Hist., p. 274. “ Some 
of the families of the Israelites worshiped 
Saturn under the name of Kiwan, which may 
have given rise to the religious observance of 
the Seventh day.” (Bible for Learners, vol. i. 
p. 317.) 

6 Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 283. 

6 Mover’s PhOnizier, vol. i. p. 313. Quoted 
in Dunlap’s Spirit Hist., p. 36. 

7 Assyrian Discoveries. 

8 Mallet's Northern Antiquities, p. 92. 

9 Old Norse, Odinsdagr ; Swc. and Danish, 
Onsdag; Ang. Sax., Wodensdeg; Dutch, 
Woensdag; Eng., Wednesday. 



304 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


from the seventh — Saturn’s day — to the first — >SW-day — among 
the Christians ? 

“ If we go back to the founding of the church, we find that the 
most marked feature of that age, so far as the church itself is con¬ 
cerned, is the grand division between the ‘Jewish faction,’ as it 
was called, and the followers of Paul. This division was so deep, 
so marked, so characteristic, that it has left its traces all through 
the New Testament itself. It was one of the grand aspects of the 
time, and the point on which they were divided was simply this: 
the followers of Peter, those who adhered to the teachings of the 
central church in Jerusalem, held that all Christians, both converted 
Jews and Gentiles, were under obligation to keep the Mosaic law, 
ordinances, and traditions. That is, a Christian, according to their 
definition, was first a Jew; Christianity was something added to 
that, not something taking the place of it. 

“ We find this controversy raging violently all through the early 
churches, and splitting them into factions, so that they were the 
occasion of prayer and counsel. Paul took the ground distinctly 
that Christianity, while it might be spiritually the lineal successor 
of Judaism, was not Judaism ; and that he who became a Christian, 
whether a converted Jew or Gentile, was under no obligation what¬ 
ever to keep the Jewish law, so far as it was separate from practical 
matters of life and character. We find this intimated in the writ¬ 
ings of Paul; for we have to go to the New Testament for the ori¬ 
gin of that which, we find, existed immediately after the New 
Testament was written. Paul says : ‘ One man esteemeth one day 
above another : another man esteemeth every day alike ’ (Pom. xiv. 
5-9). He leaves it an open question; they can do as they please. 
Then : ‘Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am 
afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain ’ (Gal. iv. 
10, 11). And if you will note this Epistle of Paul to the Gala¬ 
tians, you will find that the whole purpose of his writing it was to 
protest against what he believed to be the viciousness of the Juda- 
izing influences. That is, he says : ‘ I have come to preach to you 
the perfect truth, that Christ hath made us free ; and you are going 
back and taking upon yourselves this yoke of bondage. My labor 
is being thrown away ; my efforts have been in vain.’ Then he says, 
in his celebrated Epistle to the Colossians, that has never yet been ex¬ 
plained away or met: ‘ Let no man therefore judge you any more in 
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, 
or of the Sabbath days’ (Col. ii. 1G, 17), distinctly abrogating the 
binding authority of the Sabbath on the Christian church. So that, 


PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


395 


if Paul’s word anywhere means anything—if his authority is to 
be taken as of binding force on any point whatever — then Paul is 
to be regarded as authoritatively and distinctly abrogating the 
Sabbath, and declaring that it is no longer binding on the Chris¬ 
tian church.” 1 

This breach in the early church, this controversy, resulted at 
last in Paul’s going up to Jerusalem “ to meet James and the repre¬ 
sentatives of the Jerusalem church, to see if they could iind any 
common platform of agreement—if they could come together so 
that they could work with mutual respect and without any further 
bickering. What is the platform that they met upon ? It was 
distinctly understood that those who wished to keep up the observ¬ 
ance of Judaism should do so; and the church at Jerusalem gave 
Paul this grand freedom, substantially saying to him : ‘ Go back to 
your missionary work, found churches, and teach them that they 
are perfectly free in regard to all Mosaic and Jewish observances, 
save only these four : Abstain from pollutions of idols, from forni¬ 
cation, from things strangled, and from blood.’ ” 2 

The point to which our attention is forcibly drawn is, that the 
question of Sabbath-keeping is one of those that is left out. The 
point that Paul had been fighting for w'as conceded by the central 
church at Jerusalem, and he was to go out thenceforth free, so 
far as that was concerned, in his teaching of the churches that he 
should found. 

There is no mention of the Sabbath, or the Lord’s day, as bind¬ 
ing in the New Testament. What, then, was the actual condition 
of affairs? What did the churches do in the first three hundred 
years of their existence? Why, they did just what Paul and the 
Jerusalem church had agreed upon. Those who wished to keep 
the Jewish Sabbath did so ; and those who did not wish to, did not 
do so. This is seen from the fact that Justin Martyr, a Christian 
Father who flourished about a.d. 140, did not observe the day. In 
his “ .Dialogue ” with Typho, the Jew reproaches the Christians 
for not keeping the “ Sabbath.” Justin admits the charge by 
saying: 

“ Do you not see that the Elements keep no Sabbaths, and are never idle? Con¬ 
tinue as you were created. If there was no need of circumcision before Abraham’s 
time, and no need of the Sabbath, of festivals and oblations, before the time of 
Moses, neither of them are necessary after the coming of Christ. If any among you 
is guilty of perjury, fraud, or other crimes, let him cease from them and repent, 
and he will have kept the kind of Sabbath pleasing to God.” 


1 Rev. M. J. Savage. 


2 Acts, xv. 20. 



396 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


There was no binding authority then, among the Christians, as 
to whether they should keep the first or the seventh day of the 
week holy, or not, until the time of the first Christian Roman 

t/ / ' 

Emperor. “ Constantine , a Sun worshiper , who had , as other 
Heathen , kept the Sun-day , publicly ordered this to supplant the 
Jewish Sabbath.” 1 lie commanded that this day should be kept 
holy, throughout the whole Roman empire, and sent an edict to all 
governors of provinces to this effect. 2 Thus we see how the great 
Pagan festival , in honor of Sol the invincible , was transf brined 
into a Christian holy-day. 

Rot only were Pagan festival days changed into Christian holy- 
days, but Pagan idols were converted into Christian saints, and Pa¬ 
gan temples into Christian churches. 

A Pagan temple at Rome, formerly sacred to the “ Bona Pea ” 
(the “ Good Goddess”), was Christianized and dedicated to the Vir¬ 
gin Mary. In a place formerly sacred to Apollo, there now stands 
the church of Saint Apollinaris. Where there anciently stood the 
temple of Mars, may now be seen the church of Saint Martine. 3 A 
Pagan temple, originally dedicated to “ Ccelestis Dea” (the “Hea¬ 
venly Goddess ”), by one Aurelius, ,a Pagan liigli-priest, was con¬ 
verted into a Christian church by another Aurelius, created Bishop 
of Carthage in the year 390 of Christ. He placed his episcopal 
chair in the very place where the statue of the Heavenly Goddess 
had stood. 4 

The noblest heathen temple now remaining in the world, is the 
Pantheon or Rotunda, which, as the inscription over the portico 
informs us, having been impiously dedicated of old by Agrippa to 
“Jove and all the gods,” was piously reconsecrated by Pope Boni¬ 
face the Fourth, to “ The Mother of God and all the Saints.” 6 

The church of Saint Reparatae, at Florence, was formerly a 
Pagan temple. An inscription was found in the foundation of this 
church, of these words: “ To the Great Goddess Nutria.” 6 The 
church of St. Stephen, at Bologna, was formed from heathen tem¬ 
ples, one of which was a temple of Isis. 7 

At the southern extremity of the present Forum at Rome, and 
just under the Palatine hill — where the noble babes, who, miracu¬ 
lously preserved, became the founders of a state that was to com¬ 
mand the world, were exposed—stands the church of St. Theodore. 

1 Bonwick: Egyptian Belief, p. 182. Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iii. pp. 142, 143 . 

2 See Eusebius’ Life of Constantine, lib. iv. e See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 236, and Gib- 

chs. xviii. and xxiii. bon’s Rome, vol. iii. pp. 142 , 143. 

3 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 237. « Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 137 . 

4 See Bell's Pantkedn, vol. i. p. 187, and * Ibid. p. 307. 





PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


397 


This temple was built in honor of Romulus, and the brazen wolf—* 
commemorating the curious manner in which the founders of Rome 
were nurtured — occupied a place here till the sixteenth century. 
And, as the Roman matrons of old used to carry their children, 
when ill, to the temple of Romulus, so too, the women still carry 
their children to St. Theodore on the same occasions. 

In Christianizing these Pagan temples, free use was made of 
the sculptured and painted stones of heathen monuments. In some 
cases they evidently painted over one name, and inserted another. 
This may be seen from the following 


Inscriptions Formerly in Pagan and Inscriptions now in Christian 


Temples. 

1 . 

To Mercury and Minerva, Tutelary 
Gods. 

2 . 

To the Gods who preside over this 
Temple. 

3 . 

To the Divinity of Mercury the Avail¬ 
ing, the Powerful, the Uncon¬ 
quered. 

4 . 

Sacred to the Gods and Goddesses, 
with 

Jove the best and greatest. 

5 . 

Venus’ Pigeon. 

6 . 

The Mystical Letters 
I. H. S . 1 


Churches. 

1 . 

To St. Mary and St. Francis, My 
Tutelaries. 

2 . 

To the Divine Eustrogius, who pre¬ 
sides over this Temple. 

3 . 

To the Divinity of St. George the 
Availing, the Powerful, the Un¬ 
conquered. 

4 . 

Sacred to the presiding helpers, St. 
George and St. Stephen, with 
God the best and greatest. 

5 . 

The Holy Ghost represented as a 
Pigeon. 

6 . 

The Mystical Letters 
I. H. S . 2 


In many cases the Images of tbe Pagan gods were allowed to 
remain in these temples, and, after being Christianized , continued 
to receive divine honors. 3 

“ In St. Peter’s, Rome, is a statue of Jupiter , deprived of his 
thunderbolt, which is replaced by the emblematic keys. In like 
manner, much of the religion of the lower orders, which we regard 
as essentially Christian , is ancient heathenism , refitted with Chris¬ 
tian symbols.” 4 We find that as early as the time of St. Gregory, 
Bishop of Reo-Cesarea (a. d. 213), the “simple” and “unskilled ” 


1 Gruter’s Inscriptions. Quoted in Taylor’s 
Diegesis, p. 237. 

2 Boldonins’ Epigraphs. Quoted in Ibid. 

3 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. ii. p. 237. Tay¬ 


lor’s Diegesis, p. 48, and Middleton’s Letters 
from Rome. 

4 Baring-Gould’s Curious Myths, p. 426. 




398 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


multitudes of Christians were allowed to pay divine honors to these 
images, hoping that in the process of time they would learn better. 1 
In fact, as Prof. Draper says : 

“Olympus was restored, but the divinities passed under other names. The 
more powerful provinces insisted upon the adoption of their time-honored con¬ 
ceptions. . . . Not only was the adoration of ISIS under a new name restored, 
but even her image, standing on the crescent moon, reappeared. The well-known 
effigy of that goddess with the infant Horus in her arms, has descended to our 
days in the beautiful, artistic creations of the Madonna and child. Such resto¬ 
rations of old conceptions under novel forms were everywhere received with de¬ 
light. When it was announced to the Ephesians, that the Council of that place, 
headed by Cyril, had declared that the Virgin (Mary) should be called the 
4 Mother of God,' with tears of joy they embraced the knees of their bishop ; it 
was the old instinct cropping out; their ancestors would have done the same 
for Diana.” 2 

44 O bright goddess ; once again 
Fix on earth thy hcav’nly reign ; 

Be thy sacred name ador’d, 

Altars rais’d, and rites restor’d.” 

Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople from 428 a. d., refused to 
call Mary “ the mother of God” on the ground that she could be 
the mother of the human nature only, which the divine Logos used 
as its organ. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, did all in his power to 
stir up the minds of the people against Nestorius; the consequence 
was that, both at Pome and at Alexandria, Nestorius was accused 
of heresy. The dispute grew more bitter, and Theodosius II. 
thought it necessary to convoke an (Ecumenical Council at Ephesus 
in 431. On this, as on former occasions, the affirmative party over¬ 
ruled the negative. The person of Mary began to rise in the new 
empyrean. The paradoxical name of “ Mother of God ” pleased the 
popular piety. Nestorius was condemned, and died in exile. 

The shrine of many an old hero was filled by the statue of some 
imaginary saint. 

44 They have not always” (says Dr. Conyers Middleton), “as 1 am well in¬ 
formed, given themselves the trouble of making even this change, but have been 
contented sometimes to take up with the old image, just as they found it ; after 
baptizing it only, as it were, or consecrating it anew, by the imposition of a 
Christian name. 1 his their antiquaries do not scruple to put strangers in mind 
of, in showing their churches, as it was, I think, in that of St, Agnes, where 
they showed me an antique statue of a young BACCHUS, which, with a new 
name, and some little change of drapery, stands now worshiped under the title 
of a female saint.” 3 

In many parts of Italy are to be seen pictures of the “ Holy 
Family,” of extreme antiquity, the grounds of them often of gold. 

1 Mosheim, Cent. ii. p. 202. Quoted in Tay¬ 

lor's Diegeeis, p. 48. 


2 Draper : Religion and Science, pp. 48, 49. 

3 Middleton’s Letters from Rome, p. 84. 






PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


309 


These pictures represent the mother with a child on lien knee, and 
a little boy standing close by her side; the Lamb is generally seen 
in the picture. They are inscribed “ Deo Soli ” and are simply 
ancient representations of Isis and Horns. The Lamb is “ The 
Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world,” which, as we have 
already seen, was believed on in the Pagan world centuries before 
the time of Christ Jesus. 1 Some half-pagan Christian went so far 
as to forge a book, which he attributed to Christ Jesus himself, 
which was for the purpose of showing that lie—Christ Jesus — 
was in no way against these heathen gods. 2 

The Lcelanders were induced to embrace Christianity, with its 
legends and miracles, and sainted divinities, as the Christian monks 
were ready to substitute for Thor, their warrior-god, Michael, the 
warrior-angel; for Freyja, their goddess, the Virgin Mary; and for 
the god Vila, a St. Valentine — probably manufactured for the oc¬ 
casion. 

“ The statues of Jupiter, Apollo, Mercury, Orpheus, did duty 
for The Christ . 3 The Thames River god officates at the baptism 
of Jesus in the Jordan. Peter holds the keys of Janus. 4 Moses 
wears the horns of Jove. Ceres, Cybele, Demeter assume new 
names, as ‘ Queen of Lleavenj ‘ Star of the Sea ,’ ‘ Maria lllumin- 
atrixf Dionysius is St. Denis; Cosmos is St. Cosmo; Pluto and 
Proserpine resign their seats in the hall of final judgment to the 
Christ and his mother. The Parcie depute one of their number, 
Lachesis, the disposer of lots, to set the stamp of destiny upon the 
deaths of Christian believers. The aura placida of the poets, the 
gentle breeze, is personified as Aura and Placida. The perpetua 
felicitas of the devotee becomes a lovely presence in the forms of 
St. Perpetua and St. Felicitas, guardian angels of the pious soul. 
No relic of Paganism was permitted to remain in its casket. The 
depositories were all ransacked. The shadowy hands of Egyptian 
priests placed the urn of holy water at the porch of the basilica, 
which stood ready to be converted into a temple. Priests of the 


1 See Higgins’ Anacalypsis. 

2 Jones on the Canon. Quoted in Taylor’s 
Diegesis, p. 49. 

3 Compare “Apollo among the Muses,” and 

“The Vine and its Branches” (that is, Christ 
Jesus and his Disciples), in Lundy’s Monumen¬ 
tal Christianity , pp. 141-143. As Mr. Lundy 
says, there is so striking a resemblance be¬ 
tween the two, that one looks very much like 
a copy of the other. Apollo is also represented 
as the “ Good Shepherd ,” with a lamb upon 
his back, just exactly as Christ Jesus is rep¬ 
resented in Christian Art. (See Lundy's Mon¬ 


umental Christianity, and Jameson’s Hist, of 
Our Lord in Art.) 

4 The Roman god Jonas, or Janus, with his 
keys, was changed into Peter, who was sur- 
named Bar-Jonas. Many years ago a statue 
of the god Janus, in bronze, being found in 
Rome, he was perched up in St. Peter’s with 
his keys in his hand : the very identical god, 
in all his native ugliness. This statue sits as 
St. Peter, under the cupola of the church of 
St. Peter. It is looked upon with the most 
profound veneration : the toes are nearly kissed 
away by devotees. 



400 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


most ancient faiths of Palestine, Assyria, Babylon, Thebes, Persia, 
were permitted to erect the altar at the point where the transverse 
beam of the cross meets the main stem. The hands that constructed 
the temple in cruciform shape had long become too attenuated to 
cast the faintest shadow. There Devaki with the infant Crislma, 
Maya with the babe Buddha, Juno with the child Mars, represent 
Mary with Jesus in her arms. Coarse emblems are not rejected ; 
the Assyrian dove is a tender symbol of the Holy Ghost. The rag- 
bags and toy boxes were explored. A bauble which the Roman 
schoolboy had thrown away was picked up, and called an ‘ agnus 
deV The musty wardrobes of forgotten hierarchies furnished cos¬ 
tumes for the officers of the new prince. Alb and chasuble recalled 
the fashions of Numa’s day. The cast-off purple habits and shoes 
of Pagan emperors beautified the august persons of Christian popes. 
The cardinals must be contented with the robes once worn by sen¬ 
ators. Zoroaster bound about the monks the girdle lie invented as 
a protection against evil spirits, and clothed them in the frocks he 
had found convenient for his ritual. The pope thrust out his foot 
to be kissed, as Caligula, Ileliogabalus, and Julius Cesar had thrust 
out theirs. Nothing came amiss to the faith that w r as to discharge 
henceforth the offices of spiritual impression.” 1 

The ascetic and monastic life practiced by some Christians of 
the present day, is of great antiquity. Among the Buddhists there 
are priests who are ordained, tonsured, live in monasteries, and 
make vows of celibacy. There are also nuns among them, whose 
vows and discipline are the same as the priests. 2 

The close resemblance between the ancient religion of Thibet and 
JTejpccul —where the worship of a crucified God was found — and 
the Roman Catholic religion of the present day, is very striking. 
In Thibet was found the pope, or head of the religion, whom they 
called the “ Dalai Lama ; ” 3 they use holy water, they celebrate a 
sacrifice with bread and wine; they give extreme unction, pray for 
the sick ; they have monasteries, and convents for women ; they 
chant in their services, have fasts; they worship one God in a trin¬ 
ity, believe in a hell, heaven, and a half-way place or purgatory; 
they make prayers and sacrifices for the dead, have confession, adore 
the cross; have chaplets, or strings of beads to count their prayers, 
and many other practices common to the Roman Catholic Church. 4 


1 Frothingliam : The Cradle of the Christ, 
p. 179. 

2 See Hardy's Eastern Monachism. 

3 The “ Grand Lama ” is the head of a 

priestly order in Thibet and Tartary. The 


office is not hereditary, but, like the Pope of 
Rome, he is elected by the priests. (Tnman’s 
Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 203. See also, Bell’s 
Pantheon, vol. ii. pp. 32-34.) 

4 See Higgins’ Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 233, 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


401 


The resemblance between Buddhism and Christianity has been re¬ 
marked by many travelers in the eastern countries. Sir John 
Francis Davis, in his “ History of China,” speaking of Buddhism 
in that country, says : 

“ Certain it is—and the observance may be daily made even at Canton—that 
they (the Buddhist priests) practice the ordinances of celibacy, fasting, and 
prayers for the dead ; they have holy water, rosaries of beads, which they count 
with their prayers, the worship of relics, and a monastic habit resembling that 
of the Franciscans ” (an order of Roman Catholic monks). 

Pere Premere, a Jesuit missionary to China, was driven to con¬ 
clude that the devil had practiced a trick to perplex his friends, 
the Jesuits. To others, however, it is not so difficult to account for 
these things as it seemed for the good Father. Sir John continues 
his account as follows: 

‘ These priests are associated in monasteries attached to the temples of Fo. 
They are in China precisely a society of mendicants, and go about, like monks 
of that description in the Romish Church, asking alms for the support of their 
establishment. Their tonsure extends to the hair of the whole head. There is 
a regular gradation among the priesthood ; and according to his reputation for 
sanctity, his length of service and other claims, each priest may rise from the 
lowest rank of servitor—whose duty it is to perform the menial offices of the 
temple—to that of officiating priest—and ultimately of ‘Tae Hoepang,’ Abbot or 
head of the establishment.” 

# 

The five principal precepts, or rather interdicts, addressed to 
the Buddhist priests are : 

1. Do not kill. 

2. Do not steal. 

3. Do not marry. 

4. Speak not falsely. 

5. Drink no wine. 

Poo-ta-la is the name of a monastery, described in Lord Macart¬ 
ney’s mission, and is an extensive establishment, which was found 
in Manchow-Tartary, beyond the great wall. This building offered 
shelter to no less than eight hundred Chinese Buddhist priests. 1 

The Kev. Mr. Gutzlaff, in his “Journal of Voyages along the 
coast of China,” tells us that he found the Buddhist “ Monasteries, 
nuns, and friars very numerous and adds that: “ their priests are 
generally very ignorant.” 2 

This reminds us of the fact that, for centuries during the “ dark 
ages ” of Christianity, Christian bishops and prelates, the teachers, 
spiritual pastors and masters, were mostly marksmen , that is, they 


Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 203, and 1 Davis : Hist. China, vol. ii. pp. 105, 106. 
Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 211. a Gutzlaff’s Voyages, p. 309. 

2G 




402 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


supplied, by the sign of the cross, their inability to write their own 
name. 1 Many of the bishops in the Councils of Ephesus and Chal- 
cedon, it is said, could not write their names. Ignorance was not 
considered a disqualification for ordination. A cloud of ignorance 
overspread the whole face of the Church, hardly broken by a few 
glimmering lights, who owe almost the whole of their distinction to 
the surrounding darkness. 2 

One of the principal objects of curiosity to the Europeans who 
first went to China, was a large monastery at Canton. This mon¬ 
astery, which was dedicated to Fo, or Buddha, and which is on a 
very large scale, is situated upon the southern side of the river. 
There are extensive grounds surrounding the building, jflanted with 
trees, in the center of which is a broad pavement of granite, which 
is kept very clean. An English gentleman, Mr. Bennett, entered 
this establishment, which he fully desciibes. He says that after 
walking along this granite pavement, they entered a temple, where 
the priesthood happened to be assembled, worshiping. They were 
arranged in rows, chanting, striking gongs, &c. These priests, with 
their shaven crowns, and arrayed in the yellow robes of the religion, 
appeared to go through the mummery with devotion. As soon as 
the mummery had ceased, the priests all flocked out of the temple, 
adjourned to their respective rooms, divested themselves of their 
official robes, and the images —among which were evidently repre¬ 
sentations of Shin-moo, the “ Holy Mother,” and “ Queen of Hea¬ 
ven,” and “ The Three Pure Ones,” —were left to themselves, with 
lamps burning before them. 

To expiate sin, offerings made to these priests are — according to 
the Buddhist idea — sufficient. To facilitate the release of some 
unfortunate from purgatory, they said masses. Their prayers are 
counted by means of a rosary, and they live in a state of celibacy. 

Mr. Gutzlaff, in describing a temple dedicated to Buddha, situ¬ 
ated on the island of Poo-ta-la, says : 

“We were present at the vespers of the priests, which they chanted in the 
Pali language, not unlike the Latin service of the Romish church. They held 
their rosaries in their hands, which rested folded upon their breasts. One of 
them had a small bell, by the tingling of which the service was regulated.” 

The Buddhists in India have similar institutions. The French 
missionary, M. L’Abbe Hue, says of them : 

“ The Buddhist ascetic not aspiring to elevate himself only, he practiced vir¬ 
tue and applied himself to perfection to make other men share in its belief ; and 


1 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 34, 


3 See Hailam’e Middle Ages. 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


403 


by the institution of an order of religious mendicants, which increased to an im¬ 
mense extent, he attached towards him, and restored to society, the poor and un¬ 
fortunate. It was, indeed, precisely because Buddha received among his dis¬ 
ciples miserable creatures who were outcasts from the respectable class of India, 
that he became an object of mockery to the Brahmins. But he merely replied to 
their taunts, ‘ My law is a law of mercy for all.’ 

In the words of Yisconnt Amberly, we can say that, “ Monas- 
ticism, in countries where Buddhism reigns supreme, is a vast and 
powerful institution.” 

The JUssenes, of whom we shall speak more fully anon, were an 
order of ascetics, dwelling in monasteries. Among the order of 
.Pythagoras, which was very similar to the Essenes, there was an 
order of nuns. 1 2 3 The ancient Druids admitted females into their 
sacred order, and initiated them into the mysteries of their religion. 3 
The priestesses of the Saxon Frigga devoted themselves to perpetual 
virginity. 4 The vestal virgins 5 * were bound by a solemn vow to pre¬ 
serve their chastity for a space of thirty years. 8 

The Egyptian priests of Isis were obliged to observe perpetual 
chastity. 7 They were also tonsured like the Buddhist priests. 8 The 
Assyrian, Arabian, Persian and Egyptian priests wore white sur¬ 
plices, 9 and so did the ancient Druids. The Corinthian Aphrodite 
had her ITierodoulio, the pure Gerairai ministered to the goddess of 
the Parthenon, the altar of the Latin Yesta was tended by her chosen 
virgins, and the Romish “ Queen of Heaven ” has her nuns. 

When the Spaniards had established themselves in Mexico and 1 
Peru, they were astonished to find, among other things which closely 
resembled their religion, monastic institutions on a large scale. 

The Rev. Father Acosta, in his “ Natural and Moral History of 
the Indies,” says : 

“ There is one thing worthy of special regard, the which is, how the Devil, by 
his pride, hath opposed himself to God ; and that which God, by his wisdom, 
hath decreed for his honor and service, and for the good and health of man, the 
devil strives to imitate and pervert, to be honored, and to cause men to be 
damned: for as we see the great God hath Sacrifices, Priests, Sacraments, Re¬ 
ligious Prophets, and Ministers, dedicated to his divine service and holy ceremo- 
monies, so likewise the devil hath his Sacrifices, Priests, his kinds of Sacra¬ 
ments, his Ministers appointed, his secluded and feigned holiness, with a thou¬ 
sand sorts of false prophets.” 10 

“ We find among all the nations of the world, men especially dedicated to 
the service of the true God, or to the false, which serve in sacrifices, and declare 


1 Hue's Travels, vol. i. p. 329. 

2 See Hardy's Eastern Monachism, p. 163. 

s Ibid. 

4 Ibid. 

6 “ Vestal Virgins,” an order of virgins 

consecrated to the goddess Vesta. 


6 nardy : Eastern Monachism, p. 163. 
f Ibid. p. 48. 

8 See Herodotus, b. ii. ch. 36. 

9 Dunlap : Son of the Man, p. x. 

10 Acosta, vol. ii. p. 324. 




404 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


unto the people what their gods command them. There was in Mexico a 
strange curiosity upon this point. And the devil, counterfeiting the use of the 
church of God, hath placed in the order of his Priests, some greater or superi¬ 
ors, and some less, the one as Acolites, the other as Levites, and that which hath 
made most to wonder, was, that the devil would usurp to himself the service of 
God ; yea, and use the same name : for the Mexicans in their ancient tongue call 
their high priests Papes, as they should say sovereign bishops, as it appears 
now by their histories.” 1 

In Mexico, within the circuit of the great temple, there were 
two monasteries, one for virgins, the other for men, which they 
called religious. These men lived poorly and chastely, and did the 
office of Levites. 2 

“ These priests and religious men used great fastings, of five or ten days to¬ 
gether, before any of their great feasts, and they were unto them as our four 
ember week ; they were so strict in continence that some of them (not to fall 
into any sensuality) slit their members in the midst, and did a thousand things 
to make themselves unable, lest they should offend their gods.” 3 

“ There were in Peru many monasteries of virgins (for there are no other ad¬ 
mitted), at the least one in every province. In these monasteries there were two 
sorts of women, one ancient, which they called Mamacomas (mothers), for the 
instruction of the young, and the other was of young maidens placed there for a 
certain time, and after they were drawn forth, either for their gods or for the 
Inca.” “If any of the Mamacomas or Acllas were found to have trespassed 
against their honor, it was an inevitable chastisement to bury them alive or 
to put them to death by some other kind of cruel torment.” 4 

The Rev. Father concludes by saying : 

“In truth it is very strange to see that this false opinion of religion hath so 
great force among these young men and maidens of Mexico, that they will serve 
the devil with so great rigor and austerity, which many of us do not in the service 
of the most high God, the which is a great shame and confusion.” 5 

The religious orders of the ancient Mexicans and Peruvians are 
described at length in Lord Kingsborough’s “ Mexican Antiquities,” 
and by most every writer on ancient Mexico. Differing in minor 
details, the grand features of self-consecration are everywhere the 
same, whether we look to the saintly Risliis of ancient India, to the 
wearers of the yellow robe in China or Ceylon, to the Essenes 
among the Jews, to the devotees of Vitziliputzli in pagan Mexico, 
or to the monks and nuns of Christian times in Africa, in Asia, and 
in Europe. Throughout the various creeds of these distant lands 
there runs the same* unconquerable impulse, producing the same re¬ 
markable effects. 

The “ Sacred Heart” was a great mystery with the ancients. 


1 Acosta, vol. ii. p. 330. 

2 Ibid. p. 336. 

3 Ibid. p. 338. 


4 Ibid. pp. 332, 833. 
6 Ibid. p. 337 






PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


405 


Horus , the Egyptian virgin-born Saviour, was represented carrying 
the sacred heart outside on his breast. Vishnu , the Mediator and 
Preserver of the Hindoos, was also represented in that manner. So 
was it with Bel of Babylon. 1 In like manner, Christ Jesus, the 
Christian Saviour, is represented at the present day. 

The amulets or charms which the Roman Christians wear, to 
drive away diseases, and to protect them from harm, are other relics 
of paganism. The ancient pagans wore these charms for the same 
purpose. The name of their favorite god was generally inscribed 
upon them, and we learn by a quotation from Chrysostom that the 
Christians at Antioch used to bind brass coins of Alexander the 
Great about their heads, to keep off or drive away diseases. 2 The 
Christians also used amulets with the name or monogram of the 
god Serapis engraved thereon, which show that it made no differ¬ 
ence whether the god was their own or that of another. Even the 
charm which is worn by the Christians at the present day, has 
none other than the monogram of Bacchus engraved thereon, i. e., 
I. II. S. 3 

The ancient Roman children carried around their necks a small 
ornament in the form of a heart, called Bulla. This was imitated 
by the early Christians. Upon their ancient monuments in the 
Vatican, the heart is very common, and it may be seen in numbers 
of old pictures. After some time it was succeeded by the Agnus 
Dei , which, like the ancient Bulla , was supposed to avert dangers 
from the children and the wearers of them. Cardinal Baronias (an 
eminent Roman Catholic ecclesiastical historian, born at Sora, in 
Naples, a. n. 1538) says, that those who have been baptized carry 
pendent from their neck an Agnus Dei , in imitation of a devotion 
of the Pagans, who hung to the neck of their children little bottles 
in the form of a heart, which served as preservatives against charms 
and enchantments. Says Mr. Cox : 

“ That ornaments in the shape of a vesica have been popular in all countries 
as preservatives against dangers, and especially from evil spirits, can as little be 
questioned as the fact that they still retain some measure of their ancient popu¬ 
larity in England, where horse-shoes are nailed to walls as a safeguard against 
unknown perils, where a shoe is thrown by way of good-luck after newly-mar¬ 
ried couples, and where the villagers have not yet ceased to dance round the 
May-pole on the green.” 4 

All of these are emblems of either the Lingha or Yoni. 

The use of amulets was carried to the most extravagant excess 


> Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 241. 

3 See Lardner’s Works, vol. viii. pp. 375, 376. 


s See Chap. XXXIII. 

* Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 127. 




406 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


in ancient Egypt, and tlieir Sacred Book of tlie Dead, even in its 
earliest form, shows the importance attached to such things. 1 

We can say with M. Henan that: 

“Almost all our superstitions arc tlie remains of a religion anterior to Chris¬ 
tianity, and which Christianity has not been able entirely to root out.” 2 

Baptismal fonts were used by the pagans, as well as the little 
cisterns which are to be seen at the entrance of Catholic churches. 
In the temple of Apollo, at Delphi, there were two of these ; one 
of silver, and the other of gold. 3 

Temples always faced tlie east, to receive the rays of the rising 
sun. They contained an outer court for the public, and an inner 
sanctuary for the priests, called the “Adytum” Near the entrance 
was a large vessel, of stone or brass, filled with water, made holy by 
plunging into it a burning torch from the altar. All who were ad¬ 
mitted to the sacrifices w^ere sprinkled with this water, and none 
but the unpolluted were allowed to pass beyond it. In the center 
of the building stood the statue of the god, on a pedestal raised 
above the altar and enclosed by a railing. On festival occasions, 
the people brought laurel, olive, or ivy, to decorate the pillars and 
walls. Before they entered they always washed their hands, as a 
type of purification from sin. 4 * A story is told of a man who was 
struck dead by a thunderbolt because he omitted this ceremony 
when entering a temple of Jnpiter. Sometimes they crawled up 
the steps on their knees, and bowing their heads to the ground, 
kissed the threshold. Always when they passed one of these 
sacred edifices they kissed their right hand to it, in token of ven¬ 
eration. 

In all the temples of Yishnu, Crishna, llama, Durga, and Kali, 
in India, there are to be seen idols before which lights and incense 
are burned. Moreover, the idols of these gods are constantly dec¬ 
orated with flowers and costly ornaments, especially on festive occa¬ 
sions. 0 The ancient Egyptian worship had a great splendor of 
ritual. There was a morning service, a kind of mass, celebrated by 
a priest, shorn and beardless ; there were sprinklings of holy water, 
Ac,, Ac. 6 All of this kind of worship was finally adopted by the 
Christians. 

The sublime and simple theology of the primitive Christians 

1 Renouf: Hibbert Lectures, p. 191. themselves with pure minds, without which 

2 Renan : Hibbert Lectures, p. 32. the external cleanness of the body would by 

2 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 232. no means be accepted.” (Bell’s Pantheon, 

4 “At their entrance, purifying themselves vol. ii. p. 282.) 

by washing their hands in holy water , they & See Williams’ Hinduism, p. 99. 

were at the same time admonished to present 6 See Renan’s Hibbert Lectures, p. 35. 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


407 


was gradually corrupted and degraded by the introduction of a 
popular mythology, which tended to restore the reign of poly¬ 
theism. 

As the objects of religion were gradually reduced to the stand¬ 
ard of the imagination, the rites and ceremonies were introduced 
that seemed most powerfully to affect the senses of the vulgar. If, 
in the beginning of the fifth century, Tertullian, or Lactantius, had 
been suddenly raised from the dead, to assist at the festival of some 
popular saint or martyr, they would have gazed with astonishment 
and indignation on the profane spectacle, which had succeeded to 
the pure and spiritual worship of a Christian congregation. 1 

Dr. Draper, in speaking of the early Christian Church, says: 

“Great is the difference between Christianity under Severus (born 146) and 
Christianity under Constantine, (born 274). Many of the doctrines which at the 
latter period were pre-eminent, in the former were unknown. Two causes led to 
the amalgamation of Christianity with Paganism. 1. The political necessities 
of the new dynasty : 2. The policy adopted by the new religion to insure its 
spread. 

“ Though the Christian party had proved itself sufficiently strong to give a 
master to the empire, it was never sufficiently strong to destroy its antagonist. 
Paganism. The issue of the struggle between them was an amalgamation of the 
principles of both. In this, Christianity differed from Mohammedanism, which 
absolutely annihilated its antagonist, and spread its own doctrines without adul¬ 
teration. 

“ Constantine continually showed by his acts that he felt he must be the im¬ 
partial sovereign of all his people, not merely the representative of a successful 
faction. Hence, if he built Christian churches, he also restored Pagan temples ; 
if he listened to the clergy, he also consulted the liaruspices ; if he summoned 
the Council of Nicea, he also honored the statue of Fortune ; if he accepted the 
rite of Baptism, he also struck a medal bearing his title of ‘ God.’ His statue, 
on top of the great porphyry pillar at Constantinople, consisted of an ancient 
image of Apollo, whose features were replaced by those of the emperor, and its 
head surrounded by the nails feigned to have been used at the crucifixion of 
Christ, arranged so as to form a crown of glory. 

“Feeling that there must be concessions to the defeated Pagan party, in ac¬ 
cordance with its ideas, he looked with favor on the idolatrous movements of 
his court. In fact, the leaders of these movements were persons of his own 
family. 

To the emperor,—a mere worldling—a man without any religious convictions, 
doubtless it appeared best for himself, best for the empire, and best for the con¬ 
tending parties, Christian and Pagan, to promote their union or amalgamation as 
much as possible. Even sincere Christians do not seem to have been averse to 
this; perhaps they believed that the new doctrines would diffuse most thoroughly 
by incorporating in themselves ideas borrowed from the old; that Truth would 
assert herself in the end, and the impurities be cast off. In accomplishing this 
amalgamation, Helen, the Empress-mother, aided by the court ladies, led the 
way. 


1 Edward Gibbon : Decline and Fall, vol. iii. p. 1G1. 




403 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ As years passed on, the faith described by Tertullian (a.d. 150-105) was 
transformed into one more fashionable and more debased. It was incorporated 
with the old Greek mythology. Olympus was restored, but the divinities passed 
under new names. 

“Heathen rites were adopted, a pompous and splendid ritual, gorgeous robes, 
mitres, tiaras, wax-tapers, processional services, lustrations, gold and silver 
vases, were introduced. 

“ The festival of the Purification of the Virgin was invented to remove the un¬ 
easiness of heathen converts on account of the loss of their Lupercalia, or feasts 
of Pan. 

“ The apotheosis of the old Roman times was replaced by canonization ; tute¬ 
lary saints succeeded to local mythological divinities. Then came the mystery 
of transubstantiation, or the conversion of bread and wine by the priest into the 
flesh and blood of Christ. As centuries passed, the paganization became more 
and more complete.” 1 

The early Christian saints, bishops, and fathers, confessedly 
adopted the liturgies, rites, ceremonies, and terms of heathenism ; 
making it their boast, that the pagan religion, properly explained, 
really was nothing else than Christianity; that the best and wisest 
of its professors, in all ages, had been Christians all along; that 
Christianity was but a name more recently acquired to a religion 
which had previously existed, and had been known to the Greek 
philosophers, to Plato, Socrates, and Heraclitus ; and that “if the 
writings of Cicero had been read as they ought to have been, there 
would have been no occasion for the Christian Scriptures.” 

And our Protestant, and most orthodox Christian divines, the 
best learned on ecclesiastical antiquity, and most entirely persuaded 
of the truth of the Christian religion, unable to resist or to conflict 
with the constraining demonstration of the data that prove the 
absolute sameness and identity of Paganism and Christianity, and 
unable to point out so much as one single idea or notion, of which 
they could show that it was peculiar to Christianity, or that Christi¬ 
anity had it, and Paganism had it not, have invented the apology 
of an hypothesis, that the Pagan religion was typical , and that 
Crishna, Buddha, Bacchus, Hercules, Adonis, Osiris, Horus, &c., 
were all of them types and forerunners of the true and real Saviour, 
Christ Jesus. Those who are satisfied with this kind of reasoning 
are certainly welcome to it. 

That Christianity is nothing more than Paganism under a new 
name, has, as we said above, been admitted over and over again by 
the Fathers of the Church, and others. Aringhus (in his account 
of subterraneous Rome) acknowledges the conformity between $he 
Pagan and Christian form of worship, and defends the admission 


1 Draper : Science and Religion, pp. 46-49. 





PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


409 


of the ceremonies of heathenism into the service of the Church, by 
the authority of the wisest prelates and governors, whom, lie says, 
found it necessary, in the conversion of the Gentiles, to dissemble, 
and wink at many things, and yield to the times; and not to use 
force against customs which the people were so obstinately fond of. 1 

Melito (a Christian bishop of Sardis), in an apology delivered to 
the Emperor Marcus Antoninus, in the year 170, claims the patron¬ 
age of the emperor, for the now called Christian religion, which he 
calls “ our philosophy ,” “on account of its high antiquity, as hav¬ 
ing been imported from countries lying beyond the limits of the 
Homan empire, in the region of his ancestor Augustus, who found 
its importation ominous of good fortune to his government.” 2 
This is an absolute demonstration that Christianity did not origi¬ 
nate in Judea, which was a Roman province, but really was an ex¬ 
otic oriental fable, imported from India, and that Paul was doing 
as he claimed, viz.: preaching a God manifest in the flesh who had 
been “believed on in the world” centuries before his time, and a 
doctrine which had already been preached “ unto every creature 
under heaven.” 

Baronius (an eminent Catholic ecclesiastical historian) says: 

“ It is permitted to the Church to use, for the purpose of piety, the ceremonies 
which the pagans used for the purpose of impiety in a superstitious religion, after 
having first expiated them by consecration—to the end, that the devil might re¬ 
ceive a greater affront from employing, in honor of Jesus Christ, that which his 
enemy had destined for his own service.” 3 

Clarke, in his “ Evidences of Revealed Religion,” says : 

“ Some of the ancient writers of the church have not scrupled expressly to 
call the Athenian Socrates, and some others of the best of the heathen moralists, 
by the name of Christians, and to affirm, as the law was as it were a schoolmaster, 
to bring the Jews unto Christ, so true moral philosophy was to the Gentiles a 
preparative to receive the gospel.” 4 

4 

Clemens Alexandrinus says: 

“ Those who lived according to the Logos were really Christians, though they 
have been thought to be atheists ; as Socrates and Heraclitus were among the 
Greeks, and such as resembled them.” 5 

And St. Augustine says : 

“ That, in our times, is the Christian religion, which to know and follow is 
the most sure and certain health, called according to that name, but not accord- 


- 1 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 237. 

2 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 249. Sec 
also, Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., book iv. ch. xxvi. 
who alludes to it. 

s Baronius’ Annals, An. 33. Quoted by 


Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 93. 

4 Quoted by Rev. R. Taylor, Diegesis, p. 41. 

5 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 41, and 
Lillie’s Buddhism, p. 218. 



410 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


ing to the thing itself, of which it is the name ; for the thing itself which is now 
called the Christian religion, really was known to the ancients, nor was wanting 
at any time from the beginning of the human race, until the time when Christ 
came in the flesh, from whence the true religion, which had previously existed, be¬ 
gan to be called Christian ; and this in our days is the Christian religion, not as 
having been wanting in former times, but as having in later times received this 
name.” 1 

Eusebius, tlie great champion of Christianity, admits that that 
which is called the Christian religion, is neither new nor strange, 
but—if it be lawful to testify the truth—was known to the ancients . 2 

How the common people were Christianized, we gather from a 
remarkable passage which Moslieim, the ecclesiastical historian, 
has preserved for us, in the life of Gregory, surnamed u Thauma- 
turgus ,” that is, “the wonder worker.” The passage is as follows : 

“ When Gregory perceived that the simple and unskilled multitude persisted 
in their worship of images, on account of the pleasures and sensual gratifications 
which they enjoyed at the Pagan festivals, he granted them a permission to in¬ 
dulge themselves in the like pleasures , in celebrating the memory of the holy mar¬ 
tyrs, hoping that in process of time, they would return of their own accord, to a 
more virtuous and regular course of life.” 3 

The historian remarks that there is no sort of doubt, that by this 
permission, Gregory allowed the Christians to dance, sport, and 
feast at the tombs of the martyrs, upon their respective festivals, 
and to do everything which the Pagans were accustomed to do in 
their temples, during the feasts celebrated in honor of their gods. 

The learned Christian advocate, M. Turretin, in describing the 
state of Christianity in the fourth century, has a well-turned rlietor- 
icism, the point of which is, that “it was not so much the empire 
that was brought over to the faith, as the faith that was brought 
over to the empire ; not the Pagans who were converted to Chris¬ 
tianity, but Christianity that was converted to Paganism.” 4 

Edward Gibbon says: 


1 “ Ea est nostris temporibus Christiana 
religio, quam cognosccre ac sequi securissiraa 
et certissima sal us est: secundum hoc nomen 
dictum est non secundum ipsam rem cujus 
hoc nomen est: nam res ipsa quae nunc Chris¬ 
tiana religio nuncupatur erat et apud antiquos, 
nec defuit ab initio generis humani, quousque 
ipse Christus veniret in carne, unde vera religio 
qme jam erat ciepit appcllari Christiana. Haec 
est nostris temporibus Christiana religio, non 
quia prioribus temporibus non fnit, sed quia 
posterioribus hoc nomen accepit.” (Opera Au- 
gustini, vol. i. p. 12. Quoted in Taylor’s Die- 
gesis, p. 42.) 

2 See Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 2, ch. v. 

3 “Cum animadvertisset Gregorius quod ob 


corporeas delectationes et voluptates, simplex et 
imperitum vulgus in simulacrorum cultus errore 
permaneret—permisit eis, ut in memoriam et 
recordationem sanctorum martyium sese ob- 
lectarent, et in laetitiam effunderentur, quod 
successu temporis aliquando futurum esset, ut 
sua sponte, ad honestiorem et accuratiorem 
vitae rationem, transirent.” (Mosheim, vol. i. 
cent. 2, p. 202. Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, 
p. 48.) 

4 “ Non imperio ad fidem adducto, sed et 
imperii pompa ecclesiam inficicnte. Non 
ethnicis ad Christum conversis, sed et Christi 
religione ad Ethnicae formam depravata.’ 1 
(Orat. Academ. De Variis Christ. Rel. fatis. 
Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 50.) 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


411 


“ It must be confessed that the ministers of the Catholic church imitated the 
profane model which they were impatient to destroy. The most respectable 
bishops had persuaded themselves, that the ignorant rusties would more cheer¬ 
fully renounce the superstitions of Paganism, if they found some resemblance, 
some compensation, in the bosom of Christianity. The religion of Constantine 
achieved, in less than a century, the final conquest of the Roman empire : but 
the victors themselves were insensibly subdued by the arts of their vanquished rivals." 1 2 

Faustus, writing to St. Augustine, says: 

“ You have substituted your agapae for the sacrifices of the Pagans ; for their 
idols your martyrs, whom you serve with the very same honors. You appease 
the shades of the dead with wine and feasts ; you celebrate the solemn festivities 
of the Gentiles, their calends, and their solstices ; and, as to their manners, those 
you have retained without any alteration. Nothing distinguishes you from the 
Pagans, except that you hold your assemblies apart from them.”* 

Ammonius Saccus (a Greek philosopher, founder of the Neo¬ 
platonic school) taught that: 

“Christianity and Paganism, when rightly understood, differ in no es¬ 
sential points, but had a common origin, and are really one and the same 
thing. ” 3 

Justin explains the thing in the following manner: 

'“It having reached the devil’s ears that the prophets had foretold that Christ 
would come ... he (the devil) set the heathen poets to bring forward a great 
many who should be called sons of Jove, (i.e.,“ The Sons of God.”) The devil lay¬ 
ing his scheme in this, to get men to imagine that the true history of Christ was 
of the same character as the prodigious fables and poetic stories.” 4 

Coecilius, in the Octavius of Minucius Felix, says: 

“ All these fragments of crack-brained opiniatry and silly solaces played off 
in the sweetness of song by (the) deceitful (Pagan) poets, by you too credulous 
creatures {i.e., the Christians) have been shamefully reformed and made over to 
your own god.” 5 

Celsus, the Epicurean philosopher, wrote that: 

“The Christian religion contains nothing but what Christians hold in com¬ 
mon with heathens ; nothing new, or truly great.” 6 

This assertion is fully verified by Justin Martyr, in his apology 
to the Emperor Adrian, which is one of the most remarkable ad¬ 
missions ever made by a Christian writer. He says: 

“ In saying that all things were made in this beautiful order b} r God, what 
do we seem to say more than Plato ? When we teach a general conflagration, 
what do we teach more than the Stoics ? JBy opposing the worship of the works 
of men’s hands, we concur with Menander, the comedian ; and by declaring the 


1 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iii. p. 1G3. 4 Justin: Apol. 2. Quoted in Ibid. p. 257. 

2 Quoted by Draper : Science and Religion, 6 Quoted in Ibid. p. 254. 

p. 48 . 6 Bellamy’s Translation. Quoted in Ibid. 

3 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 329. p. 49. 





412 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Logos, the first begotten of God, our master Jesus Christ, to be born of a virgin, 
without any human mixture, to be crucified and dead, and to have rose again, 
and ascended into heaven : we say no more in this, than what you say of those 
whom you style the Sons of Jove. For you need not be told what a parcel of sons, 
the writers most in vogue among you, assign to Jove ; there’s Mercury, Jove’s 
interpreter, in imitation of the Logos, in worship among you. There’s ./Escula- 
pius, the physician, smitten by a thunderbolt, and after that ascending into 
heaven. There’s Bacchus, torn to pieces ; and Hercules, burnt to get rid of his 
pains. There’s Pollux and Castor, the sons of Jove by Leda, and Perseus by 
Danae ; and not to mention others, I would fain know why you always deify the 
departed emperors and have a fellow at hand to make affidavit that he saw Caesar 
mount to heaven from the funeral pile? 

“As to the son of God, called Jesus, should we allow him to be nothing more 
than man, yet the title of the son of God is very justifiable, upon the account of 
his wisdom, considering that you have your Mercury in worship, under the title 
of the Word and Messenger of God. 

‘ ‘ As to the objection of our Jesus’s being crucified , I say, that suffering was com¬ 
mon to all the forementioned sons of Jove, but only they suffered another kind of 
death. As to his being born of a virgin, you have your Perseus to balance that. 
As to his curing the lame, and the paralytic, and such as were cripples from 
birth, this is little more than what you say of your iEsculapius.” 1 

The most celebrated Fathers of the Christian church, the most 
frequently quoted, and those whose names stand the highest were 
nothing more nor less than Pagans, being born and educated Pagans. 
Pantaenus (a. d. 193) was one of these half-Pagan, half-Christian, 
Fathers. lie at one time presided in the school of the faithful in 
Alexandria in Egypt, and was celebrated on account of his learn¬ 
ing. He was brought up in the Stoic philosophy. 2 

Clemens Alexandrinus (a. d. 194) or St. Clement of Alexan¬ 
dria, was another Christian Father of the same sort, being originally 
a Pagan. He succeeded Pantaenus as president of the monkish 
university at Alexandria. His works are very extensive, and his 
authority very high in the church. 3 

Tertullian (a. d. 200) may next be mentioned. He also was 
originally a Pagan, and at one time Presbyter of the Christian 
church of Carthage, in Africa. The following is a specimen of his 
manner of reasoning on the evidences of Christianity. He says : 

“I find no other means to prove myself to be impudent with success, and 
happily a fool, than by my contempt of shame ; as, for instance—I maintain 
that the Son of God was born ; why am I not ashamed of maintaining such a 
thing? Why ! but because it is itself a shameful thing. I maintain that the 
Son of God died: well, that is wholly credible because it is monstrously absurd. 

I maintain that after having been buried, lie rose again : and that I take to be 
absolutely true, because it was manifestly impossible.” 4 


1 As translated by Rev. R. Taylor, Syn- 3 See Ibid. p. 324. 

tagma, pp. 168, 1C9. 4 See Ibid. p. 326, and Middleton’s Works, 

2 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 323. vol. ii. 





PAGANISM IN CIITtlSTIANITY. 


413 


Ori gen (a. d. 230), one of the shining lights of the Christian 
church, was another Father of this class. Porphyry (a Heo-platonist 
philosopher) objects to him on this account. 1 

lie also was born in the great cradle and nursery of superstition 
—Egypt—and studied under that celebrated philosopher, Ammo- 
nius Saccus, who taught that “ Christianity and Paganism, when 
rightly understood, differed in no essential point, but had a common 
origin.” This saint was so sincere in his devotion to the cause of 
monkery, or Essen ism, that he made himself an eunuch “ for the 
kingdom of heaven’s sake.” 2 The writer of the twelfth verse of 
the nineteenth chapter of Matthew, was without doubt an Egyp¬ 
tian monk. The words are put into the mouth of the Jewish Jesus, 
which is simply ridiculous, when it is considered that the Jews did 
not allow an eunuch so much as to enter the congregation of the 
Lord. 3 

St. Gregory (a. d. 240), bishop of Heo-Csesarea in Pontus, was 
another celebrated Christian Father, born of Pagan parents and ed¬ 
ucated a Pagan. He is called Thaumaturgus, or the wonder¬ 
worker, and is said to have performed miracles when still a Pagan. 4 
He, too, was an Alexandrian student. This is the Gregory who 
was commended by his namesake of Nyssa for changing the Pagan 
festivals into Christian holidays, the better to draw the heathen to 
the religion of Christ. 5 

Mosheim, the ecclesiastical historian, in speaking of the 
Christian church during the second century, says: 

“ The profound respect that was paid to the Greek and Roman mysteries , and 
the extraordinary sanctity that was attributed to them, induced the Christians 
to give their religion a mystic air, in order to put it upon an equal footing, in 
point of dignity, with that of the Pagans. For this purpose they gave the name 
of mysteries to the institutions of the gospel, and decorated, particularly the 
holy sacrament, with that solemn title. They used, in that sacred institution, 
as also in that of baptism, several of the terms employed in the heathen myste¬ 
ries, and proceeded so far at length, as even to adopt some of the rites and cere¬ 
monies of which those renowned mysteries consisted.” 6 

We have seen, then, that the only difference between Christi¬ 
anity and Paganism is that Brahma, Ormuzd, Osiris, Zeus, Jupiter, 
etc., are called by another name; Crishna, Buddha, Bacchus, 
Adonis, Mithras, etc., have been turned into Christ Jesus: Venus’ 
pigeon into the Holy Ghost; Diana, Isis, Devaki, etc., into the 


1 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 328. 
a Matt. xix. 12. 

5 Deut. xxiii. 1. 

4 See Taylor's Diegosis, p. 339. 


6 See Middleton's Letters from Rome, p. 

236, and Diegesis, p. 49. 

6 Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 52. 



414 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Virgin Mary ; and the denii-gods and heroes into saints. The ex¬ 
ploits of the one were represented as the miracles of the other. 
Pagan festivals became Christian holidays, and Pagan temples be¬ 
came Christian churches. 

Mr. Mahaffy, Fellow and Tutor in Trinity College, and Lecturer 
on Ancient History in the University of Dublin, ends his “Prole¬ 
gomena to Ancient History” in the following manner: 

“There is indeed, hardly a great or fruitful idea in the Jewish or Christian 
systems, which has not its analogy in the (ancient) Egyptian faith. The develop¬ 
ment of the one God into a trinity; the incarnation of the mediating deity in a 
Virgin, and without a father; his conflict and his momentary defeat by the powers 
of darkness ; his partial victory (for the enemy is not destroyed); his resurrec¬ 
tion and reign over an eternal kingdom with his justified saints ; his distinction 
from, and yet identity with, the uncreate incomprehensible Father, whose form 
is unknown, and who dwelleth not in temples made with hands— all these theo¬ 
logical conceptions pervade the oldest religion of Egypt. So, too, the contrast and 
even the apparent inconsistencies between our moral and theological beliefs— 
the vacillating attribution of sin and guilt partly to moral weakness, partly to 
the interference of evil spirits, and likewise of righteousness to moral w T orth, 
and again to the help of good genii or angels ; the immortality of the soul and its 
final judgment— all these things have met us in the Egyptian ritual and moral 
treatises. So, too, the purely human side of morals, and the catalogue of vir¬ 
tues and vices, are by natural consequences as like as are the theological systems. 
But I recoil from opening this great subject now ; it is enough to have lifted the veil 
and shown the scene of many a future contest." 1 

In regard to the moral sentiments expressed in the books of 
the Hew Testament, and believed by the majority of Christians to 
be peculiar to Christianity, we shall touch them but lightly, as this 
has already been done so frequently by many able scholars. 

The moral doctrines that appear in the Hew Testament, even the 
sayings of the Sermon on the Mount and the Lord’s Prayer, are 
found with slight variation, among the Eabbins, who have certainly 
borrowed nothing out of the Hew Testament. 

Christian teachers have delighted to exhibit the essential superior¬ 
ity of Christianity to Judaism, have quoted with triumph the maxims 
that are said to have fallen from the lips of Jesus, and which, they 
surmised, could not be paralleled in the elder Scriptures, and have 
put the least favorable construction on such passages in the ancient 
books as seemed to contain the thoughts of evangelists and apostles. 
A more ingenious study of the Hebrew law, according to the oldest 
traditions, as well as its later interpretations by the prophets, re¬ 
duces these differences materially by bringing into relief sentiments 
and precepts whereof the Hew Testament morality is but an echo. 


1 Prolegomena to AncieDt History, pp. 416, 417. 




PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


415 


There are passages in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, even ten¬ 
derer in their humanity than anything in the Gospels. The 
preacher from the Mount, the prophet of the Beatitudes, does 
but repeat with persuasive lips what the law-givers of his race pro¬ 
claimed in mighty tones of command. Such an acquaintance with 
the later literature of the Jews as is really obtained now from pop¬ 
ular sources, will convince the ordinarily fair mind that the origi¬ 
nality of the New Testament has been greatly over-estimated. 

“To feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, bury the dead, 
loyally serve the king, forms the first duty of a pious man and faithful subject,” 

is an abstract from the Egyptian “ Book of the Dead,” tlis oldest 
Bible in the world. 

Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, born 551 b. c., said : 

“ Obey Heaven, and follow the orders of Him who governs it. Love your 
neighbor as yourself. Do to another what you would he should do unto you ; 
and do not unto another what you would should not be done unto you ; thou 
only needest this law alone, it is the foundation and principle of all the rest. Ac¬ 
knowledge thy benefits by the return of other benefits, but never revenge in¬ 
juries” 1 


The following extracts from Mann and the Maha-bharata , an 
Indian epic poem, written many centuries before the time of Christ 
Jesus, 2 compared with similar sentiment contained in the books of 
the New Testament, are very striking. 


“An evil-minded man is quick to 
see his neighbor’s faults, though small 
as mustard-seed ; but when he turns 
his eyes towards his own, though large 
as Bilva fruit, he none descries. ” 
(Maha-bharata.) 

“ Conquer a man who never gives 
by gifts ; subdue untruthful men by 
truthfulness ; vanquish an angry man 
by gentleness ; and overcome the evil 
man by goodness.” (Ibid.) 

“To injure none by thought or word 
or deed, to give to others, and behind to 
all—this is the constant duty of the 
good. High-minded men delight in 
doing good, without a thought of their 
own interest; when they confer a bene¬ 
fit on others, they reckon not on favors 
in return.” (Ibid.) 

“Two persons will hereafter be ex¬ 
alted above the heavens—the man with 


“ And why beholdest thou the mote 
that is in thy brother’s eye, but consid- 
erest not the beam that is in thine own 
eye? ” (Matt. vii. 3.) 

“ Be not overcome of evil, but over¬ 
come evil with good.” (Romans, xii. 
21 .) 

“ Love your enemies, and do good, 
and lend, hoping for nothing again ; 
and your reward shall be great, and ye 
shall be the children of the Highest : 
for he is kind unto the unthankful and 
to the evil.” (Luke, vii. 35.) 

“And Jesus sat over against the 
treasury, and beheld how people cast 


1 Tindal: Christianity as Old as the Crea¬ 
tion. 

2 Manu’s works were written during the 


sixth century b. c. (see Williams’ Indian Wis¬ 
dom, p. 215), and the Maha-bharata about the 
same time. 




416 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


boundless power, who yet forbears to 
use it indiscreetly, and lie who is not 
rich, and yet can give.” (Ibid.) 

“Just heaven is not so pleased with 
costly gifts, offered in hope of future 
recompense, as with the merest trifle 
set apart from honest gains, and sancti¬ 
fied by faith.” (Ibid.) 


“To curb the tongue and moderate 
the speech, is held to be the hardest of 
all tasks. The words of him who talk 
too volubly have neither substance nor 
variety.” (Ibid.) 

“ Even to foes who visit us as guests 
due hospitality should be displayed ; 
the tree screens with its leaves, the man 
who fells it.” (Ibid.) 

“ In granting or refusing a request, 
a man obtains a proper rule of action 
by looking on his neighbor as himself.” 
(Ibid.) 

“Before infirmities creep o’er thy 
flesh ; before decay impairs thy 
strength and mars the beauty of thy 
limbs ; before the Encler, whose char¬ 
ioteer is sickness, hastes towards thee, 
breaks up thy fragile frame and 
ends thy life, lay up the only treasure: 
Do good deeds ; practice sobriety and 
self-control ; amass that wealth which 
thieves cannot abstract, nor tyrants 
seize, which follows thee at death, 
which never wastes away, nor is cor¬ 
rupted.” (Ibid.) 

“ This is the sum of all true right¬ 
eousness—Treat others as thou wouldst 
thyself be treated. Do nothing to thy 
neighbor, which hereafter thou 
would’st not have thy neighbor do to 
thee. In causing pleasure, or in giv¬ 
ing pain, in doing good or injury to 
others, in granting or refusing a 
request, a man obtains a proper rule of 
action by looking on his neighbor as 
himself.” (Ibid.) 


money into the treasury : and many 
that were rich cast in much. And 
there came a certain poor widow, and 
she threw in two mites, which make a 
farthing. And he called unto him his 
disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I 
say unto you, that this poor widow hath 
cast more in, than all they which have 
cast into the treasury : For all they did 
cast in of their abundance, but she of 
her want did cast all that she had, even 
all her living.” (Mark, xii. 41-44.) 

“ But the tongue can no man tame ; 
it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poi¬ 
son. (James, iii. 8.) 

“ Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, 
feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink; 
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of 
fire on his head.” (Rom. xii. 20.) 

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
thyself.” (Matt. xxii. 39.) 

“ And as ye would that men should 
do to you, do ye also to them like¬ 
wise.” (Luke vi. 31.) 

“ Remember now thy creator in the 
days of thy youth, while the evil days 
come not, nor the years draw nigh, 
when thou shalt say: I have no pleas¬ 
ure in them.” (Ecc. xii. 1.) 

“ Lay not up for yourselves treasures 
upon earth, where moth and rust doth 
corrupt, and where thieves break 
through and steal: But lay up for your¬ 
selves treasures in heaven, where neither 
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where 
thieves do not break through and steal.” 
(Matt. vi. 19-20.) 

“Ye have heard that it hath been 
said : Thou shalt love thy neighbor, 
and hate thine enemy. But I say 
unto you, love your enemies, bless 
them that curse you, do good to them 
that hate you, and pray for them which 
despitefully use you, and persecute 
you.” (Matt. v. 43-44.) 

“ A new commandment I give unto 
you, that ye love one another ; as I 
have loved you, that ye also love one 
another.” (John, xii. 34.) 

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
thyself.” (Matt, xi. 39.) 


PAGANISM IN CHRISTIANITY. 


417 


“ Think constantly, O Son, how thou mayest please 
Thy father, mother, teacher,—these obey. 

By deep devotion seek thy debt to pay. 

This is thy highest duty and religion.” (Manu.) 

* ‘ Wound not another, though by him provoked. 

Do no one injury by thought or deed. 

Utter no word to pain thy fellow-creatures.” (Ibid.) 

“ Treat no one with disdain, with patience bear 
Reviling language ; with an angry man 

Be never angry ; blessings give for curses.” (Ibid.) 

“ E’en as a driver checks his restive steeds, 

Do thou, if thou art wise, restrain thy passions, 

Which, running wild, will hurry thee away.” (Ibid.) 

“Pride not thyself on thy religious works. 

Give to the poor, but talk not of thy gifts. 

By pride religious merit melts away, 

The merit of thy alms by ostentation.” (Ibid.) 

“ Good words, good deeds, and beautiful expressions 
A wise man ever culls from every quarter, 

E’en as a gleaner gathers ears of corn.” (Maha-bharata.) 

“ Repeated sin destroys the understanding, 

And he whose reason is impaired, repeats 
His sins. The constant practice of virtue 
Strengthens the mental faculties, and he 

Whose judgment stronger grows, acts always right. (Ibid.) 

“ If thou art wise seek ease and happiness 
In deeds of virtue and of usefulness ; 

And ever act in such a way by day 
That in the night thy sleep may tranquil be ; 

And so comport thyself when thou art young 
That when thou art grown old, thy age may pass 
In calm serenity. So ply thy talk 
Through thy life, that when thy days are ended, 

Thou may’st enjoy eternal bliss hereafter.” 

“ Do naught to others which if done to thee 
Would cause thee pain ; this is the sum of duty.” 

“No sacred lore can save the hypocrite,— 

Though he employ it craftily,—from hell ; 

When his end comes, his pious texts take wings, 

Like fledglings eager to forsake their nest. ” 

“ Iniquity once practiced, like a seed, 

Fails not to yield its fruit to him who wrought it, 

If not to him, yet to his sons and grandsons.” 

27 


(Ibid.) 

(Ibid.) 

(Ibid.) 

(Manu.) 


418 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ Single is every living creature born, 

Single he passes to another world. 

Single he eats the fruit of evil deeds, 

Single, the fruit of good ; and when he leaves 

His body like a log or heap of clay 

Upon the ground, his kinsmen walk away ; 

Virtue alone stands by him at the tomb, 

And bears him through the dreary, trackless gloom. ” 

“ Thou canst not gather what thou dost not sow ; 

As thou dost plant the tree so will it grow.” 

“ He who pretends to be what he is not, 

Acts a part, commits the worst of crimes, 

For, thief-like, he abstracts a good man’s heart,” 


* 


(Ibid.) 

(Ibid.) 

I 

(Ibid.) 




CHAPTER XXXVII. 


WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 

We now come to the question, Why did Christianity prosper, 
and why was Jesus of Nazareth believed to be a divine incarnation 
and Saviour? 

There were many causes for this, but as we can devote but one 
chapter to the subject, we must necessarily treat it briefly. 

For many centuries before the time of Christ Jesus there lived 
a sect of religious monks known as JEssenes , or Therapeutce •' these 
entirely disappeared from history shortly after the time assigned 
for the crucifixion of Jesus. There were thousands of them, and 
their monasteries were to be counted by the score. Many have 
asked the question, “ What became of them?” We now propose 
to show, 1. That they were expecting the advent of an Angel-Mes- 
siah ; 2. That they considered Jesus of Nazareth to be the Mes¬ 
siah ; 3. That they came over to Christianity in a body; and, 4. 
That they brought the legendary histories of the former Angel- 
Messialis with them. 

The origin of the sect known as Essenes is enveloped in mist, 
and will probably never be revealed. To speak of all the different 
ideas entertained as to their origin would make a volume of itself, 
we can therefore but glance at the subject. It has been the ob¬ 
ject of Christian writers up to a comparatively recent date, to 
claim that almost everything originated with God’s chosen people, 
the Jews , and that even all languages can be traced to the Hebrew. 
Under these circumstances, then, it is not to be wondered at that 
we find they have also traced the Essenes to Hebrew origin. 

Theophilus Gale, who wrote a work called “ The Court of the 

i *• Numerous bodies of ascetics (Thera- plating the hidden wisdom of the Scriptures. 
peutae), especially near Lake Mareotis, devoted Eusebius even claimed them as Christians ; 
themselves to discipline and study, abjuring and some of the forms of monasticism were 
society and labor, and often forgetting, it is evidently modeled after the Therapeutce 
said the simplest wants of nature, in contem- (Smith’s Bible Dictionary, art. “ Alexandria 

[419J 



420 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Gentiles ” (Oxford, 1G71), to demonstrate that “ the origin of all 
human literature , botli philology and philosophy, is from the Scrip¬ 
tures and the Jewish church,” undoubtedly hits upon the truth when 
he says: 

“ Now, tlie origination or rise of these Essenes (among the Jews) I conceive 
by the best conjectures I can make from antiquity, to be in or immediately after 
the Babylonian captivity, though some make them later.” 

Some Christian writers trace them to Moses or some of the 
prophets, but that they originated in India , and were a sort of * 
Buddhist sect, we believe is their true history. 

Gfrorer, who wrote concerning them in 1835, and said that u the 
Essenes and the Therapeutm are the same sect , and hold the same 
views” was undoubtedly another writer who was touching upon 
historical ground. 

The identity of many of the precepts and practices of Essenism 
and those of the New Testament is unquestionable. Essenism urged 
on its disciples to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous¬ 
ness. 1 2 The Essenes forbade the laying up of treasures upon earth. 3 
The Essenes demanded of those who wished to join them to sell all 
their possessions, and to divide it among the poor brethren. 3 The 
Essenes had all things in common, and appointed one of the breth¬ 
ren as steward to manage the common bag. 4 5 Essenism put all its 
members on the same level, forbidding the exercise of authority of 
one over the other, and enjoining mutual service. 6 Essenism com¬ 
manded its disciples to call no man master upon the earth. 6 Essen¬ 
ism laid the greatest stress upon being meek and lowly in spirit. 7 
The Essenes commended the poor in spirit, those who hunger and 
thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the 
peacemaker. They combined the healing of the body with that of 
the soul. They declared that the power to cast out evil spirits, to 
perform miraculous cures, &c., should be possessed by their disci¬ 
ples as signs of their belief. 8 The Essenes did not swear at all; 
their answer was yea, yea, and nay, nay. 9 When the Essenes started 
on a mission of mercy, they provided neither gold nor silver, neither 
two coats, neither shoes, but relied on hospitality for support. 10 The 
Essenes, though repudiating offensive war, yet took weapons with 


1 Comp. Matt. vi. 33 ; Luke, xii. 31. 

2 Comp. Matt. vi. 19-21. 

3 Comp. Matt. xix. 21 ; Luke, xii. 33. 

4 Comp. Acts, ii. 44, 45 ; iv. 32-34 ; John, 
xii, G ; xiii. 29. 

5 Comp. Matt. xx. 25-28 ; Mark, ix. 35-37; 

x. 42-45. 


8 Comp. Matt, xxiii. 8-10. 

7 Comp. Matt. v. 5 ; xi. 29. 

8 Comp. Mark, xvi. 17; Matt. x. 8 ; Luke, 
ix. 1, 2 ; x. 9. 

9 Comp. Matt. v. 34. 

10 Comp. Matt. x. 9, 10. 


i 




WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


421 


them when they went on a perilous journey. 1 The Essenes abstained 
from connubial intercourse. 2 The Essenes did not offer animal sac¬ 
rifices, but strove to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy and 
acceptable unto God, which they regarded as a reasonable service. 3 
It was the great aim of the Essenes to live such a life of purity 
and holiness as to be the temples of the Holy Spirit, and to be able 
to prophesy. 4 * 

Many other comparisons might be made, but these are sufficient 


to show that there is a great similarity between the two. 6 These 
similarities have led many Christian writers to believe that Jesus 
belonged to this order. Dr. Ginsburg, an advocate of this theory, 


says : 


“It will hardly be doubted that our Saviour himself belonged to this holy 
brotherhood. This will especially be apparent when we remember that the whole 
Jewish community, at the advent of Christ, was divided into three parties, the 
Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes, and that every Jew had to belong to 
one of these sects. Jesus, who, in all things, conformed to the Jewish law, and 
who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, would therefore 
naturally associate himself with that order of Judaism which was most congenial 
to his holy nature. Moreover, the fact that Christ, with the exception of once, 
was not heard of in public until his thirtieth year, implying that he lived in se¬ 
clusion with this fraternity, and that though he frequently rebuked the scribes, 
Pharisees and Sadducees, he never denounced the Essenes, strongly confirms 
this conclusion.’ 6 


The facts — as Dr. Ginsburg calls them — which confirm his con¬ 
clusions, are simply no facts at all. Jesus may or may not have been 
a member of this order; but when it is stated as a fact that he never 
rebuked the Essenes, it is implying too much. We know not 
whether the words said to have been uttered by Jesus were ever 
uttered by him or not, and it is almost certain that had he rebuked 
the Essenes, and had his words been written in the Gospels, they 
wovld not remain there long. We hear very little of the Essenes 
after a. d. 40, 7 therefore, when we read of the “ primitive Chris¬ 
tians ,” we are reading of Essenes , and others. 

The statement that, with the exception of once, Jesus was not 
heard in public life till his thirtieth year, is also uncertain. One 
of the early Christian Fathers (Irenseus) tells us that he did not begin 


i Comp. Luke, xxii. 36. 

a Comp. Matt. xix. 10-12; I. Cor. viii. 

3 Comp. Rom. xii. 1. 

4 Comp. 1. Cor. xiv. 1, 39. 

e The above comparisons have been taken 

from Ginsbnrg’s “Essenes,” to which the 

reader is referred for a more lengthy observation 
on the subject. 


6 Ginsburg’s Essenes, p. 24. 

1 “We hear very little of them after a.T). 
40; and there can hardly be any doubt that, 
owing to the great similarity existing between 
their precepts and practices and those r.f primir 
tive Christians, the Essenes as a body must have 
embraced Christianity.” (Dr. Ginsburg, p. 

27.) 





422 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


to teach until lie was forty years of age, or thereabout, and that he 
lived to be nearly fifty years old . 1 “ The records of his life are very 
scanty ; and these have been so shaped and colored and modified by 
the hands of ignorance and superstition and party prejudice and 
ecclesiastical purpose, that it is hard to be sure of the original out¬ 
lines .” 

The similarity of the sentiments of the Essenes, or Therapeutse, 
to those of the Church of Rome, induced the learned Jesuit, Nico¬ 
laus Serarius, to seek for them an honorable origin. He contended 
therefore, that they were Asideans, and derived them from the 
Rechabites, described so circumstantially in the thirty-fifth chapter 
of Jeremiah; at the same time, he asserted that the first Christian 
monks were Essenes . 2 

Mr. King, speaking of the Christian sect called Gnostics, says: 

“ Their chief doctrines had been held for centuries before (their time) in many 
of the cities of Asia Minor. There, it is probable, they, first came into exist mce 
as ‘ Mystic,’ upon the establishment of a direct intercourse with India under ' the.Se- 
leucidce and the Ptolemies. The colleges of Essenes and Megabyzae at Ephesus, 
the Orphies of Thrace, the Curetes of Crete, are all merely branches of one an¬ 
tique and common religion, and that originally Asiatic. ” 3 

Again: 

“ The introduction of Buddhism into Egypt and Palestine affords the only true 
solution of innumerable difficulties in the history of religion.”* 

Again : 

“ That Buddhism had actually been planted in the dominions of the Seleucidae 
and Ptolemies (Palestine belonging to the former) before the beginning of the 
third century n. c., is proved to demonstration by a passage in the Edicts of Asoka, 
grandson of the famous Chandragupta, the Sandracottus of the Greeks. These 
edicts are engraven on a rock at Girnur, in Guzerat .” 5 

Eusebius, in quoting from Pliilo concerning the Essenes, seems 
to take it for granted that they and the Christians were one and 
the same , and from the manner in which he writes, it would appear 
that it was generally understood so. He says that Philo called them 
“Worshipers,” and concludes by saying : 

“But whether he himself gave them this name, or whether at th z beginning ■ 
they were so called, when as yet the name of Christians was not everywhere pub¬ 
lished, I think it not needful curiosity to sift out .” 6 


1 This will be alluded to in another chapter. period. (See Ginsburgh’s Essenes, and Hardy’s 

2 It was believed by some that the order of Eastern Monachism, p. 353.) 

Essenes was instituted by Elias, and some writ- 2 King’s Gnostics and Their Remains, p. 1. 

ers asserted that there was a regular succession 4 Ibid. p. 6. 

of hermits upon Mount Carmel from the time & King's Gnostics, p. 23. 

of the prophets to that of Christ, and that the « Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 2 ch. xvii. 

hermits embraced Christianity at an early 





WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


423 


This celebrated ecclesiastical historian considered it very prob¬ 
able that the writings of the Essenic Therapeutsin Egypt had been 
incorporated into the gospels of the New Testament, and into some 
Pauline epistles. His words are : 

“ It is very likely that the commentaries (Scriptures) which were among them 
(the Essenes) were the Gospels, and the works of the apostles, and certain expo¬ 
sitions of the ancient prophets, such as partly that epistle unto the Hebrews, 
and also the other epistles of Paul do contain .” 1 2 

The principal doctrines and rites of the Essenes can be con¬ 
nected with the East, with Parsism, and especially with Buddhism. 
Among the doctrines which Essenes and Buddhists had in common 
was that of the Angel-Messiah .' 1 

Godfrey Higgins says: 

“The Essenes were called physicians of the soul, or Therapeutce; being resi¬ 
dent both in Judea and Egypt, they probably spoke or had their sacred books in 
Chaji^ee. They were Pythagoreans, as is proved by all their forms, ceremonies, 
and doctrines, and they called themselves sons of Jesse. If the Pythagoreans or 
Conobitae, as they are called by Jamblicus, were Buddhists, the Essenes were 
Bdddhists. The Essenes lived in Egypt, on the lake of Parembole or Maria, in 
monasteries. These are the very places in which we formerly found the Gym- 
nosophists, or Samaneans, or Buddhist priests to have lived ; which Gymnosophis- 
tae are placed also by Ptolemy in north-eastern India.” 

“ Their (the Essenes) parishes, churches, bishops, priests, deacons, festivals 
are all identicall} r the same (as the Christians). They had apostolic founders ; 
the manners which distinguished the immediate apostles of Christ ; scriptures 
divinely inspired ; the same allegorical mode of interpreting them, which has 
since obtained among Christians, and the same order of performing public wor¬ 
ship. They had missionary stations or colonies of their community established 
in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Phillippi, Colosse, and Thessalonica, pre¬ 
cisely such, and in the same circumstances, as were those to whom St. Paul ad¬ 
dressed his letters in those places. All the fine moral doctrines which are at¬ 
tributed to the Samaritan Nazarite, and I doubt not justly attributed to him, are 
to be found among the doctrines of these ascetics .” 3 4 

And Arthur Lillie says : 

“It is asserted by calm thinkers like Dean Mansel that within two genera¬ 
tions of the time of Alexander the Great, the missionaries of Buddha made their 


1 Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 2, ch. xvii. 

2 Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. vii. “ The 
New Testament is the Essene-Nazarene Glad 
Tidings ! Adon, Adoni, Adonis, style of wor¬ 

ship.” (S. E. Dunlap : Son of the Man, p. iii.) 

4 Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 747 ; vol. ii. p. 34. 

4 “ In this,” says Mr. Lillie, “ he was sup¬ 
ported by philosophers of the calibre of Schil¬ 
ling and Schopenhauer, and the great Sanscrit 
authority, Lassen. Renan also sees traces of 
this Buddhist propagandism in Palestine before 


the Christian era. Hilgenfeld, Mutter, Bohlen, 
King, all admit the Buddhist influence. Cole- 
brooke saw a striking similarity between the 
Buddhist philosophy and that of the Pythago¬ 
reans. Dean Milman was convinced that the 
Therapeuts sprung from the ‘ contemplative 
and indolent fraternities ’ of India.’ And, he 
might have added, the Rev. Robert Taylor in 
his “ Diegesis," and Godfrey Higgins in his 
41 Anacalypsis,” have brought strong arguments 
to bear in support of this theory. 



424 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


appearance at Alexandria . 4 This theory is confirmed—in the east by the 
Asoka monuments—in the west by Philo. He expressly maintains the identity 
in creed of the higher Judaism and that of the Gynmo sophists of India who ab¬ 
stained from the ‘ sacrifice of living animals ’— in a word, the Buddhists. It 
would follow from this that the priestly religion of Babylonia, Palestine, Egypt, 
and Greece were undermined by certain kindred mystical societies organized by 
Buddha’s missionaries under the various names of Therapeutes, Essenes, Neo- 
Pythagoreans, Neo-Zoroastrians, &c. Thus Buddhism prepared the way for Chris¬ 
tianity. ’ M 

The Buddhists have the “ eight-fold holy path ” (Dhammapada), 
eight spiritual states leading up to Buddhahood. The first state of 
the Essenes resulted from baptism, and it seems to correspond with 
the first Buddhistic state, those who have entered the (mystic) 
stream. Patience, purity, and the mastery of passion were aimed 
at by both devotees in the other stages. In the last, magical pow¬ 
ers, healing the sick, casting out evil spirits, etc., were supposed to 
be gained. Buddhists and Essenes seem to have doubled up this 
eight-fold path into four, for some reason or other. Buddhists and 
Essenes had three orders of ascetics or monks, but this classification 
is distinct from the spiritual classifications . 2 

The doctrine of the “ Anointed Angel” of the man from heaven, 
the Creator of the world, the doctrine of the atoning sacrificial 
death of Jesus by the blood of his cross, the doctrine of the Messi¬ 
anic antetype of the Paschal lamb of the Paschal omer, and thus of 
the resurrection of Christ Jesus, the third day, according to the 
Scriptures, these doctrines of Paul can, with more or less certainty, 
be connected with the Essenes. It becomes almost a certainty that 
Eusebius was right in surmising that Essenic writings have been 
used by Paul and the evangelists. Not Jesus, but Paul, is the cause 
of the separation of the Jews from the Christians . 8 

The probability, then, that that sect of vagrant quack-doctors, 
the Therapeutse, who were established in Egypt and its neighbor¬ 
hood many ages before the period assigned by later theologians as 
that of the birth of Christ Jesus, were the original fabricators of the 
writings contained in the New Testament, becomes a certainty on 
the basis of evidence, than which history has nothing more certain, 
furnished by the unguarded, but explicit, unwary, but most unquali¬ 
fied and positive statement of the historian Eusebius, that “ those 
ancient Therapeutcc were Christians , and that their ancient writ¬ 
ings were our gospels and epistles .” \ 

The Essenes, the Therapeuts, the Ascetics, the Monks, the Ec- 


1 Buddba and Early Buddhism, p. vi. 


2 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 121. 


3 Ibid. p. 240. 




WIIY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


425 


clesiastics, and tlie Eclectics, are but different names for one and the 
self-same sect. 

The word “ Essene ” is nothing more than the Egyptian word for 
that of which Therapeut is the Greek, each of them signifying 
u healer ” or “doctor,” and designating the character of the sect as 
professing to be endued with the miraculous gift of healing ; and 
more especially so with respect to diseases, of the mind. 

iheir name of u Ascetics ” indicated the severe discipline and 
exercise of self-mortification, long fastings, prayers, contemplation, 
and even making of themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of 
heaven s sake, as did Origen, Melito, and others who derived their 
Christianity from the same school; Jesus himself is represented to 
have recognized and approved their practice. 

Their name of “ Monks ” indicated their delight in solitude, 
their contemplative life, and their entire segregation and abstraction 
from the world, which Jesus, in the Gospel, is in like manner rep¬ 
resented as describing, as characteristic of the community of which 
he was a member. 

Their name of “ Ecclesiastics ” was of the same sense, and indi¬ 
cated their being called out, elected, separated from the general fra¬ 
ternity of mankind, and set apart to the more immediate service 
and honor of God. 

They had a flourishing university, or corporate body, established 
upon these principles, at Alexandria in Egypt, long before the 
period assigned for the birth of Christ Jesus.' 

From this body they sent out missionaries, and had established 
colonies, auxiliary branches, and affiliated communities, in various 
cities of Asia Minor, which colonies were in a flourishing con¬ 
dition, before the preaching of St. Paul. 

“ The very ancient and Eastern doctrine of an Angel-Messiah 
had been applied to Gautama-Buddha, and so it was applied to 
Jesus Christ by the Essenes of Egypt and of Palestine, who intro¬ 
duced' this new Messianic doctrine into Essenic Judaism and Es- 
senic Christianity . 5 52 

In the Pali and Sanscrit texts the word Buddha is always used 
as a title, not as a name. It means “ The Enlightened One.” Gau¬ 
tama Buddha is represented to have taught that he was only one of 
a long series of Buddhas, who appear at intervals in the world, and 
who all teach the same system. After the death of each Buddha 
his religion flourishes for a time, but finally wickedness and vice 


1 “Tho Essenes abounded in Egypt, espec- Hist., lib. 2, ch. xvii. 
ially about Alexandria.” (Eusebius : Eccl. 3 Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 255. 



426 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


again rule over the land. Then a new Buddha appears, who again 
preaches tiie lost Dharma or truth. The names of twenty-four of 
these Buddhas who appeared previous to Gautama have been hand¬ 
ed down to us. The Buddhavansa , or “ History of the Buddhas,” 
the last book of the Khuddaka Nikaya in the second Pi tea, gives 
the lives of all the previous Buddhas before commencing its ac¬ 
count of Gautama himself; and the Pali commentary on the Jata- 
kas gives certain details regarding each of the twenty-four . 1 2 

An A vatar was expected about every six hundred years . 3 At the 
time of Jesus of Hazaretli an Avatar was expected, not by some of 
the Jews alone, but by most every eastern nation . 3 Many persons 
were thought at that time to be, and undoubtedly thought them¬ 
selves to be, the Christ, and the only reason why the name of Jesus 
of Nazareth succeeded above all others, is because the Essenes — 
who were expecting an Angel-Messiah — espoused it. Had it not 
been for this almost indisputable fact, the name of Jesus of Naza¬ 
reth would undoubtedly not be known at the present day. 

Epiplianius, a Christian bishop and writer of the fourth century, 
says, in speaking of the Essen es : 

“ They who believed on Christ were called Jessie i (or Essenes), they 

were called Christians. These derived their constitution from the signification of 
the name Jesus, which in Hebrew signifies the same as Therapeutes, that is, a 
saviour or physician.” 

Thus we see that, according to Christian authority, the Essenes 
and Therapeutes are one, and that the Essenes espoused the cause 
of Jesus of Nazareth, accepted him as an Angel-Messiah, and be- 


1 Rhys Davids’ Buddhism, p. 179. 

2 This is clearly shown by Mr. Higgins in 

his Anacalypsis. It should be remembered that 
Gautama Buddha, the “Angel-Messiah,” and 
Cyrus, the “ Anointed ” of the Lord, are placed 
about six hundred years before Jesus, the 
“ Anointed.” This cycle of six hundred years 
was called the ‘■'■great year." Josephus, the Jew¬ 
ish historian, alludes to it when speaking of the 
patriarchs that lived to a great age. “ God af¬ 
forded them a longer time of life,” says he, “on 
account of their virtue, and the good use they 
made of it in astronomical and geometrical 
discoveries, which would not have afforded the 
time for foretelling (the periods of the stars), 
unless they had lived six hundred years ; for the 
great year is completed in that interval.” (Jo¬ 
sephus, Antiq., bk. i. c. iii.) “ From this cycle of 
six hundred," says Col. Vallancey, “came the 
name of the bird Phoenix, called by the Egyp¬ 
tians Phcnu, with the well-known story of its 
going to Egypt to burn itself on the altar of the 
Sun (at Heliopolis) and rise again from its 
ashes, at the end of a certain period.” 


3 “ Philo's writings prove the probability, 
almost rising to a certainty, that already in his 
time the Essenes did expect an Angel-Messiah 
as one of a series of divine incarnations. 
Within about fifty years after Philo’s death, 
Elkesai the Essene probably applied this doc¬ 
trine to Jesus, and it was promulgated in Rome 
about the same time, if not earlier, by the 
Pseudo-Clementines.” (Bunsen : The Angel- 
Messiah, p. 118.) 

“There was, at this time (i. e., at the time 
of the birth of Jesus), a prevalent expectation 
that some remarkable personage was about to 
appear in Judea. The Jews were anxiously 
looking for the coming of the Messiah. By 
computing the time mentioned by Daniel (ch. 
ix. 25-27), they knew that the period was ap¬ 
proaching when the Messiah should appear. 
This personage, they supposed , would be a 
temporal prince, and they were expecting that 
he would deliver them from Roman bondage. 
It was natural that this expectation should 
spread into other countries." (Barnes’Notes, 
vol. i. p. 27.) 



WIIY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


427 


came known to history as Christians , or believers in the Anointed 
Angel. 

This ascetic Buddhist sect called Essenes were therefore expect¬ 
ing an Angel-Messiah, for had not Gautama announced to his dis¬ 
ciples that another Buddha, and therefore another angel in human 
form, another organ or advocate of the wisdom from above, would 
descend from heaven to earth, and would be called the “ Son of 
Love.” 

The learned Thomas Maurice says : 

“ From the earliest post-diluvian age, to that in which the Messiah appeared, 
together with the traditions which so expressly recorded the fall of the human 
race from a state of original rectitude and felicity, there appears, from an infi¬ 
nite variety of hieroglyphic monuments and of written documents, to have pre¬ 
vailed, from generation to generation, throughout all the regions of the higher Asia, 
an uniform belief that, in the course of revolving ages, there should arise a. sacred 
•personage , a mighty deliverer of mankind from the thraldom of sin and of death. In 
fact, the memory of the grand original promise, that the seed of the woman 
should eventually crush the serpent, was carefully preserved in the breasts of 
the Asiatics ; it entered deeply into their symbolic superstitions, and was engraved 
aloft amidst their mythologic sculptures .” 1 

That an Angel-Messiah was generally expected at this time may 
be inferred from the following facts: Some of the Gnostic sects of 
Christians, who believed that Jesus was an emanation from God, 
likewise supposed that there were several EEons , or emanations from 
the Eternal Father. Among those who taught this doctrine was 
Basilides and his followers . 3 

Simon Mxgus was believed to be “ lie who should come.” 
Simon was worshiped in Samaria and other countries, as the ex¬ 
pected Angel-Messiah, as a God. 

Justin Martyr says : 

“ After the ascension of our Lord into heaven, certain men were suborned by 
demons as their agents, who said that they were gods (i.e., the Angel Messiah). 
Among these was Simon, a certain Samaritan, whom nearly all the Samaritans 
and a few also of other nations, worshiped, confessing him as a Supreme God .” 3 

Ilis miracles were notorious, and admitted by all. His follow¬ 
ers became so numerous that they were to be found in all countries. 
In Home, in the reign of Claudius, a statue was erected in his 
honor. Clement of Borne, speaking of Simon Magus, says that: 

“He wishes to be considered an exalted person, and to be considered ‘the 
Christ/ lie claims that he can never be dissolved, asserting that he will endure 

to eternity.” 

3 Quoted by Bunsen : Keys of St. Peter, p. 
328. 


i Hist. Ilindostan, vol. ii. p. 273. 

3 Sec Lardner’s Works, vol. viii. p. 353. 






428 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Montanus was another person who evidently believed himself 
to be an Angel-Messiah. He was called by himself and his follow¬ 
ers the “ Paraclete,” or “Holy Spirit . 5 ’ 1 

Socrates, in his Ecclesiastical History, tells us of one Buddhas 
(who lived after Jesus): 

*? Who afore that time was called Terebynthus, which went to the coasts of 
Babylon, inhabited by Persians, and there published of himself many false won¬ 
ders : that he was born of a virgin, that he was bred and brought up in the 
mountains, etc.”- 

He was evidently one of the many fanatics who believed them¬ 
selves to be the Paraclete or Comforter, the “Expected One . 55 

Another one of these Christs was Apollonius. This remark¬ 
able man was born a few years before the commencement of the 
Christian era, and during his career, sustained the role of a philoso¬ 
pher, religious teacher and reformer, and a worker of miracles. He 
is said to have lived to be a hundred years old. From the history 
of his life, written by the learned sophist and scholar, Philostratus, 
we glean the following : 

Before his birth a god appeared to his mother and informed her 
that he himself should be born of her. At the time of her deliv- 
ery, the most wonderful things happened. All the people of the 
country acknowledged that he was the “ Son of God . 55 As he grew 
in stature, his wonderful powers, greatness of memory, and marvel¬ 
ous beauty attracted the attention of all. A great part of his time 
was spent, when a youth, among the learned doctors; the disciples 
of Plato, Chrysippus and Aristotle. When he came to man’s estate, 
he became an enthusiastic admirer and devoted follower of Pythag¬ 
oras. His fame soon spread far and near, and wherever he went 
he reformed the religious worship of the day. He went to Ephesus, 
like Christ Jesus to Jerusalem, where the people flocked about him. 
While at Athens, in Greece, he cast out an evil spirit from a youth. 
As soon as Apollonius fixed his eyes upon him, the demon broke 
out into the most angry and horrid expressions, and then swore he 
would depart out of the youth. He put an end to a plague which 
was raging at Ephesus, and at Corinth he raised a dead maiden to 
life, by simply taking her by the hand and bidding her arise. The 
miracles of Apollonius were extensively believed, hj Christians as 
well as others , for centuries after his time. In the fourth century 
Hierocles drew a parallel between the two Christs—Apollonius 
and Jesus — which was answered by Eusebius, the great champion 


1 SeeLardner’s Works, vol. viii. p. 593. 


3 Socrates : Eccl. Hist., lib. i. ch. xvii. 





WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


429 


of tlie Christian church. In it he admits the miracles of Apollonius, 
but attributes them to sorcery. 

Apollonius was worshiped as a god, in different countries, as 
late as the fourth century. A beautiful temple was built in honor 
of him, and he was held in high esteem by many of the Pagan em¬ 
perors. Eunapius, who wrote concerning him in the fifth century, 
says that his history should have been entitled “ The Descent of a 
God upon Earth.” It is as Albert Reville says : 

“ The universal respect in which Apollonius was held by the whole pagan 
world, testified to the deep impression which the life of this Supernatural Being 
had left indelibly fixed in their minds ; an expression which caused one of his 
contemporaries to exclaim, ‘ We have a God living among us.’ ” 

A Samaritan, by name Menander, who was contemporary with the 
apostles of Jesus, was another of these fanatics who believed himself 
to be the Christ. He went about performing miracles, claiming 
that he was a Saviour, “ sent down from above from the invisible 
worlds, for the salvation of mankind He baptized his followers 
in his own name. His influence was great, and continued for sev¬ 
eral centuries. Justin Martyr and other Christian Fathers wrote 
against him. 

Manes evidently believed himself to be “ the Christ,” or “ he 
who was to come.” His followers also believed the same concern¬ 
ing him. Eusebius, speaking of him, says: 

“ He presumed to represent the person of Christ; he proclaimed himself to be 
the Comforter and the Holy Ghost, and being puffed up with thi3 frantic pride, 
chose, as if he were Christ, twelve partners of his new-found doctrine, patch¬ 
ing into one heap false and detestable doctrines of old, rotten, and rooted out 
heresies, the which he brought out of Persia.”' 1 2 

The word Manes, says Usher in his Annals, has the meaning of 
Paraclete or Comforter or Saviour. This at once lets us into the 
secret — a new incarnation, an Angel-Messiah, a Christ — born from 
the side of his mother, and put to a violent death — flayed alive, 
and hung up, or crucified, by a king of Persia. This is the teacher 
with his twelve apostles on the rock of Gualior. 

Du Perron, in his life of Zoroaster, gives an account of certain 
prophecies to be found in the sacred books of the Persians. One 
of these is to the effect that, at successive periods of time, there will 
appear on earth certain “ Sons of Zoroaster,” who are to be the 


1 Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 3, ch. xxiii. 

2 Ibid. lib. 7, ch. xxx. 

The death of Manes, according to Socrates, 
was as follows : The King of Persia, hearing 
that he was in Mesopotania, “made him to be 


apprehended, flayed him alive, took his skin, 
filled it full of chaff, and hanged it at the 
gates of the city.” (Eccl. Hist., lib. 1, ch. 
xv.) 





430 


BIBLE MYTHS, 


result of immaculate conceptions. These virgin-born gods will 
come upon earth for the purpose of establishing the law of God. It 
is also asserted that Zoroaster, when on earth, declared that in the 
“ latter days” a pure virgin would conceive, and bear a son, and 
that as soon as the child was born a star would appear, blazing even 
at noonday, with undiminished splendor. This Christ is to be 
called Sosiosh. He will redeem mankind, and subdue the Devs, 
who have been tempting and leading men astray ever since the fall 
of our first parents. 

Among the Greeks the same prophecy was found. The Oracle 
of Delphi was the depository, according to Plato, of an ancient 
and secret prophecy of the birth of a “Son of Apollo,” who was to 
restore the reign of justice and virtue on the earth . 1 

Those who believed in successive emanations of ZEons from the 
Throne of Light, pointed to the passage in the Gospels where Jesus 
is made to say that he will be succeeded by the Paraclete or Com¬ 
forter. Mahommed was believed by many to be this Paraclete, and 
it is said that he too told his disciples that another Paraclete would 
succeed him. From present appearances, however, there is some 
reason for believing that the Mohammedans are to have their an¬ 
cient prophecy set at naught by the multiplicity of those who pre¬ 
tend to be divinely appointed to fulfill it. The present year w’as 
designated as the period at which this great reformer was to arise, 
who should be almost, if not quite, the equal of Mahommed. Ilis 
mission was to be to purify the religion from its corruptions; to 
overthrow those who had usurped its control, and to rule, as a great 
spiritual caliph, over the faithful. According to accepted tradition, 
the prophet himself designated the line of descent in which his most 
important successor would be found, and even indicated his personal 
appearance. The time having arrived, it is not strange that the 
man is forthcoming, only in this instance there is more than one 
claimant. There is a “ holy man ” in Morocco who has allowed it 
to be announced that he is the designated reformer, while cable re¬ 
ports show that a rival pretender has appeared in Yemen, in south¬ 
ern Arabia, and his supporters, sword in hand, are now advancing 
upon Mecca, for the purpose of proclaiming their leader as caliph 
within the sacred city itself. 

History then relates to us the indisputable fact that at the time 
of Jesus of Nazareth an Angel-Messiah was expected, that many 
persons claimed, and were believed to be, the “ Expected One,” and 


1 Plato in Apolog. Anac., ii, p. 189. 





WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


431 


that the reason why Jesus was accepted above all others was because 
the Essenes — a very numerous sect — believed him to be the true 
Messiah, and came over to his followers in a body. It was because 
there were so many of these Christs in existence that some follower 
of Jesus— but no one knows who — wrote as follows : 

“ It any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ, or, lo, he is there ; believe 
him not; for false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and 
wonders to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.” 1 

The reasons why Jesus was not accepted as the Messiah by the 
majority of the Jews was because the majority expected a daring 
and irresistible warrior and conqueror, who, armed with greater 
power than Caesar, was to come upon earth to rend the fetters in 
which their hapless nation had so long groaned, to avenge them 
upon their haughty oppressors, and to re-establish the kingdom of 
Judah ; and this Jesus — although he evidently claimed to be the 
Messiah — did not do. 

Tacitus, the Roman historian, says : 

“ The generality had a strong persuasion that it was contained in the ancient 
writings of the priests, that at that very time the east should prevail : and that 
someone, who should come out of Judea, should obtain the empire of the world ; 
which ambiguities foretold Vespasian and Titus. But the common people (of 
the Jews), according to the influence of human wishes, appropriated to them¬ 
selves, by their interpretation, this vast grandeur foretold by the fates, nor could 
be brought to change their opinion for the true, by all their adversities.” 

Suetonius, another Roman historian, says: 

“ There had been for a long time all over the east a constant persuasion that 
it was recorded in the fates (books of the fates, or foretellings), that at that time 
some one who should come out of Judea should obtain universal dominion. It 
appears by the event, that this prediction referred to the Roman emperor ; but 
the Jews, referring it to themselves, rebelled.” 

This is corroborated by Josephus, the Jewish historian, who 
says: 

“That which chiefly excited them (the Jews) to war, was an ambiguous 
prophecy, which was also found in the sacred books, that at that time some one, 
within their country, should arise, that should obtain the empire of the whole 
world.. For this they had received by tradition, that it was spoken of one of 
their nation ; and many wise men were deceived with the interpretation. But, 
in truth, Vespasian’s empire was designed in this prophecy, who was created 
emperor (of Rome) in Judea f 

As the Rev. Dr. Geikie remarks, the central and dominant char¬ 
acteristic of the teaching of the rabbis, was the certain advent of 


1 Mark, xiii. 21, 22. 



432 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


a great national Deliverer — the Messiah — but not a God from 
heaven. 

For a time Cyrus appeared to realize the promised Deliverer, or, 
at least, to be the chosen instrument to prepare the way for him, 
and, in Ins turn, Zeruhabel became the centre of Messianic hopes. 
In fact, the national mind had become so inflammable, by constant 
brooding on this one theme, that any bold spirit, rising in revolt 
against the Roman power, could find an army of fierce disciples 
who trusted that it should be he who would redeem Israel. 1 

The “ taxing ” which took place under Cyrenius, Governor of 
Syria (a. d. 7), excited the wildest uproar against the Roman power. 
The Hebrew spirit was stung into exasperation ; the puritans of the 
nation, the enthusiasts, fanatics, the zealots of the law, the literal 
constructionists of prophecy, appealed to the national temper, re¬ 
vived the national faith, and fanned into flame the combustible ele¬ 
ments that smoldered in the bosom of the race. The Messianic 
hope was strong in these people; all the stronger on account of 
their political degradation. Born in sorrow, the anticipation grew 
keen in bitter hours. That Jehovah would abandon them could 
not be believed. The thought would be atheism. The hope 
kept the eastern Jews in a perpetual state of insurrection. The cry 
“ Lo here, lo there ! ” was incessant. Claimant after claimant of 
the dangerous supremacy of the Messiah appeared, pitched a camp 
in the wilderness, raised the banner, gathered a force, was attacked, 
defeated, banished, or crucified; but the frenzy did not abate. 

The last insurrection among the Jews, that of Bar-Cocliba — 
“ Son of the Star ” — revealed an astonishing frenzy of zeal. It 
was purely a Messianic uprising. Judaism had excited the fears 
of the Emperor Hadrian, and induced him to inflict unusual sever¬ 
ities on the people. The effect of the violence was to stimulate 
that conviction to fury. The night of their despair was once more 
illumined by the star of the east. The banner of the Messiah was 
raised. Potents, as of old, were seen in the sky; the clouds were 
watched for the glory that should appear. Bar-Cochba seemed to 
fill out the popular idea of the deliverer. Miracles were ascribed 
to him; flames issued from his mouth. The vulgar imagination 
made haste to transform the audacious fanatic into a child of David. 
Multitudes flocked to his standard. The whole Jewish race through¬ 
out the world was in commotion. The insurrection gained head. 
The heights about Jerusalem were seized and occupied, and fortifi- 


1 Geikie : Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 79. 



WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


433 


cations were erected; nothing but the “ host of angels ” was 
needed to insure victory. The angels did not appear; the Roman 
legions did. The “ Messiah,” not proving himself a conqueror, was 
held to have proved himself an impostor, the “son of a lie.” 1 2 

The impetuous zeal with which the Jews rushed to the standard 
of this Messianic impostor, in the 130tli year of the Christian era, 
demonstrates the true Jewish character, and shows how readily any 
one who made the claim, was believed to be “ He who should 
come.” Even the celebrated Rabbi Akiba sanctioned this daring 
fraud. Akiba declared that the so-called prophecy of Balaam,—“ a 
star shall rise out of Jacob” —was accomplished. Hence the im¬ 
postor took his title of Bar-Coehabas , or Son of the Star • and 
Akiba not only publicly anointed him “ King of the Jews,” and 
placed an imperial diadem upon his head, but followed him to the 
field at the head of four-and-twenty thousand of his disciples, and 
acted in the capacity of master of his horse. 

Those who believed on the meek and benevolent Jesus — and 
whose number was very small — were of that class who believed in 
the doctrine of the Any el-Messiah* first heard of among them 
when taken captives to Babylon. These believed that just as 
Buddha appeared at different intervals, and as Yishnu appeared at 
different intervals, the avatars appeared among the Jews. Adam, 
and Enoch, and Noah, and Elijah or Elias, might in outward ap¬ 
pearance be different men, but they were really the self-same divine 
person successively animating various human bodies. 3 Christ Jesus 
was the avatar of the ninth age, Christ Cyrus was the avatar of 
the eighth. Of the hero of the eighth age it is said : “ Thus said 
the Lord to his Anointed (i. e ., his Christ ), his Messiah, to Cyrus, 


1 Frothingliam's Cradle of the Christ. 

2 “The prevailing opinion of the Rabbis 
and the people alike, in Christ’s day, was, that 
the Messiah wonld be simply a great prince, 
who should found a kingdom of matchless 
splendor.” “ With a few, however, the con¬ 
ception of the Messiah’s kingdom was pure and 
lofty. . . . Daniel, and all who wrote after 
him, painted the ‘ Expected One ’ as a heavenly 
being. lie was the -messenger,’ tne ‘ Elect of 
God,’ appointed from eternity, to appear in 
due time, and redeem his people.” (Geikie’s 
Life of Christ, vol. i. pp, 80, 81.) 

In the book of Daniel, by some supposed 
to have been written during the captivity, by 
others as late as Antiochus Epiphanes (b. c. 
175), the restoration of the Jews is described 
in tremendous language, and the Messiah is 
portrayed as a supernatural personage, in close 
relation with Jt hovah himself. In the book of 

28 


Enoch, supposed to have been written at vari¬ 
ous intervals between 144 and 120 (b. c.) and to 
have been completed in its present form in the 
first half of the second century that preceded 
the advent of Jesus, the figure of the Messiah 
is invested with superhuman attributes. He is 
called “ The Son of God,” “ whose name was 
spoken before the Sun was made “ who 
existed from the beginning in the presence of 
God,” that is, was pre-existent. At the same 
time his human characteristics are insisted on. 
He is called “ Son of Man,” even “ Son of 
Woman,” “The Anointed” or “The Christ,” 
“ The Righteous One,” &c. (Frothingham : 
The Cradle of the Christ, p. 20.) 

3 This is clearly seen from the statement 
made by the Matthew narrator (xvii. 9-13) that 
the disciples of Christ Jesus supposed John 
the Baptist was Elias. 



434 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


whose right hand I have holden to subdue nations.” 1 The eighth 
period began about the Babylonish captivity, about six hundred years 
before Christ Jesus. The ninth began with Christ Jesus, making 
in all eight cycles before Jesus. 

“What was known in Judea more than a century before the 
birth of Jesus Christ cannot have been introduced among Budd¬ 
hists by Christian missionaries. It will become equally certain that 
the bishop and church-historian, Eusebius, was right when he wrote, 
that he considered it highly probable that the writings of the Es- 
senic Therapeuts in Egypt had been incorporated into our Gospels, 
and into some Pauline epistles.” 2 

For further information on the subject of the connection be¬ 
tween Essenism and Christianity, the reader is referred to Taylor’s 
Diegesis, Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, and the works of S. F. Dunlap. 
We shall now speak of another powerful lever which was brought 
to bear upon the promulgation of Christianity; namely, that of 

FRAUD. 

It was a common thing among the early Christian Fathers and 
saints to lie and deceive, if their lies and deceits helped the cause 
of their Christ. Lactantius, an eminent Christian author who 
nourished in the fourth century, has well said : 

1/ * 

“‘Among those who seek power and gain from their religion, there will never 
be wanting an inclination to forge and lie for it.” 3 

Gregory of Hazianzus, writing to St. Jerome, says : 

“ A little jargon is all that is necessary to impose on the people. The less 
they comprehend, the more they admire. Our forefathers and doctors have 
often said, not what they thought, but what circumstances and necessity dic¬ 
tated.” 4 

The celebrated Eusebius , Bishop of Caesarea, and friend of 
Constantine the Great, who is our chief guide for the early history 
of the Church, confesses that he was by no means scrupulous to re¬ 
cord the whole truth concerning the early Christians in the various 
works which he has left behind him* Edward Gibbon, speaking 
of him, says: 

“The gravest of the ecclesiastical historians, Eusebius himself, indirectly 
confesses that he has related what might redound to the glory, and that he has 
suppressed all that could tend to the disgrace of religion. Such an acknowledg¬ 
ment will naturally excite a suspicion that a writer who has so openly violated 
one of the fundamental laws of history, has not paid a very strict regard to the 


1 Isaiah,xlv. 1. 

2 Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. 17. 

3 Quoted in Middleton’s Letters from Rome, 


p. 177, note. 

6 See his Eccl. Hist., viii. 21. 


4 Ilieron ad Nep. Quoted Volney’s Ruins, 


p. 51. 





WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


435 


observance of the other ; and the suspicion will derive additional credit from the 
character of Eusebius, which was less tinctured with credulity, and more prac¬ 
ticed in the arts of courts, than that of almost any of his contemporaries.’’ 1 


The great 
chee," says: 


theologian, Beausobre, in his “ Histoire 


de Mani- 


“ We see in the history which I have related, a sort of hypocrisy, that has 
been perhaps, but too common at all times ; that churchmen not only do not 
say what they think, but they do say the direct contrary of what they think. 
Philosophers in their cabinets ; out of them they are content with fables, though 
they well know they are fables. Nav, more ; they deliver honest men to the execu¬ 
tioner, for having uttered what they themselves know to be true. How many 
atheists and pagans have burned holy men under the pretext of heresy? Every 
day do hypocrites consecrate, and make people adore the host, though as well con¬ 
vinced as I am, that it is nothing but a bit of bread.” 2 


M. Daille says: 

'* This opinion lias always been in the world, that to settle a certain and as¬ 
sured estimation upon that which is good and true, it is necessary to remove out 
of the wa}’’, whatsoever may be an hinderance to it. Neither ought tee to wonder 
that even those of the honest, innocent, 'primitive times made use of these deceits, see¬ 
ing for a good end they made no scruple to forge whole books.” 3 


Beeves, in his “ Apologies of the Fathers,” says : 

“ It was a Catholic opinion among the philosophers, that pious frauds were 
good things, and that the people ought to be imposed on in matters of religion.” 4 

Moslieim, the ecclesiastical historian, says: 


“ It was held as a maxim that it was not only lawful but praiseworthy to de¬ 
ceive, and even to use the expedient of a lie, in order to advance the cause of 
truth and piet} r .” 5 

Isaac de Casanbon, the great ecclesiastical scholar, says : 


“It mightily affects me, to see how many there were in the earliest times of 
the church, who considered it as a capital exploit, to lend to heavenly truth the 
help of their own inventions, in order that the new doctrine might be more 
readily allowedly the wise among the Gentiles. These officious lies, they were 
won t to say, were devised for a good end .” 6 


1 Gibbon's Rome, vol. ii. pp. 79, 80. 

2 “ On voit dans l’histoire que j'ai rnpportee, 

Tine sorte d'hypocrisie, qui n'a peut-etre ete 

que trop commune dans tous les terns. C’est que 

des ecclesiastiques, non sr.lement ne disent pas 

ce qn'ils pensent. mais desent tout le contraire 
de ce qu'ils pensent. Philosophes dans leur 
cabinet, hors dela, iis content des fables, quoi- 
qu’ils sachent bien que ce sont des fables. Ils 
font plus ; iis livrent au bourreau des gen£ de 
biens pour 1'avoir dit. Combiens d'athees et 
de prophanes ont. fait bruler de saints person- 
nages, sous pretexte d’heresie ? Tous les jours 
des hypocrites, consacrent et font adorer 
l’hostie, bein qu’ils soient anssi convaincus que 
moi, que ce n’ est qu'un morceau de pain.” 


(Tom. 2, p. 568. Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, 
p. 57.) 

3 On the Use of the Fathers, b. 1, c. 3. 
Quoted in Ibid. p. 45. 

4 Quoted in Taylor's Syntagma, p. 170. 

6 Moshcim : vol. i. p. 198. Quoted in Ibid. 

6 “ Postremo illud quoque me vehementer 
movet. quod videam primis ecelesiae tempori- 
bus, quam plurimos extitisse, qui facinus 
palmarium judicabant, caelestem veritatem, 
figmentis suis ire adjutum, quo facilius nova 
doctrina a gentium sapientibus admitteretur. 
Officiosa hsec mendacia vocabant bono fine 
exeogitata.” (Quoted in Taylor's Diegesis, p. 
44, and G'les' Uebrevv and Christian Records, 
vol. ii. p. 19. 




436 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The Apostolic Father, Hermas, who was the fellow-laborer of 
St. Paul in the work of the ministry; who is greeted as such in the 
New Testament; and whose writings are expressly quoted as of 
divine inspiration, by the early Fathers, ingenuously confesses that 
lying was the easily-besetting sin of a Christian. His words are: 

“O Lord, I never spake a true word' in my life, but I have always lived in 
dissimulation, and affirmed a lie for truth to all men, and no man contradicted 
me, but all gave credit to my words.” 

To which the holy angel, whom he addresses, condescendingly 
admonishes him, that as the lie was up, now, he had better keep it 
up, and as in time it would come to be believed, it would answer 
as well as truth. 1 2 3 

Dr. Mosheim admits, that the Platonists and Pythagoreans held 
it as a maxim, that it was not only lawful, but praiseworthy, to de¬ 
ceive, and even to use the expedient of a lie, in order to advance the 
cause of truth and piety. The Jews who lived in Egypt, had 
learned and received this maxim from them, before the coming of 
Christ Jesus, as appears incontestably from a multitude of ancient 
records, and the Christians were infected from both these sources , 
with the same pernicious error? 

Of the fifteen letters ascribed to Ignatius (Bishop of Antioch 
after 69 a. d.), eight have been rejected by Christian writers as be¬ 
ing forgeries, having no authority whatever. u The remaining 
seven epistles were accounted genuine by most critics, although dis¬ 
puted by some, previous to the discoveries of Mr. Cureton, which 
have shaken, and indeed almost wholly destroyed the credit and 
authenticity of all alike.”* 

Paul of Tarsus, who was preaching a doctrine which had already 
been preached to every nation on earth, 4 * inculcates and avows the 
principle of deceiving the common people, talks of his having been 
upbraided by his own converts with being crafty and catching them 
with guile, 6 and of his known and willful lies, abounding to the 
glory of God. 0 

Even the orthodox Doctor Burnet, an eminent English author, 
in his treatise “ De Statu Mortuorum ,” purposely written in Latin, 


1 See the Vision of Hermas, b. 2, c. iii. 

2 Mosheinvvol. i. p. 197. Quoted in Taylor’s 
Dicgesis, p. 47. 

3 Dr. Giles : Hebrew and Christian Records, 
vol. ii. p. 99. 

4 “ Continue in the faith grounded and 

settled, and be not moved away from the hope 

of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which 
was preached to every creature which is under 


heaven ; whereof I Paul am made a minister.” 
(Colossians, i. 23.) 

’ s ” Being crafty, I caught you with guile.” 
(II. Cor. xii. 16.) 

6 *• For if the truth of God had more 
abounded through my lie unto his glory, why 
yet am I also judged as a sinner.” (Romans, 
iii. 7.) 




WIIY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


437 


that it might serve for the instruction of the clergy only, and not 
come to the knowledge of the laity, because, as lie said, “ too much 
light is hurtful for weak eyes ,” not only justified but recom¬ 
mended the practice of the most consummate hypocrisy, and would 
have his clergy seriously preach and maintain the reality and 
eternity of hell torments, even though they should believe nothing 
of the sort themselves. 1 

The incredible and very ridiculous stories related by Christian 
Fathers and ecclesiastical historians, on whom we are obliged to rely 
for information on the most important of subjects , show us how 
untrustworthy these men were. We have, for instance, the story 
related by St. Augustine, who is styled “ the greatest of the Latin 
Fathers,” of his preaching the Gospel to people without heads . In 
his 33d Sermon he says : 

“ I was already Bishop of Hippo, when I went into Ethiopia with some serv¬ 
ants of Christ there to preach the Gospel. In this country we saw many men 
and women without heads, who had two great eyes in their breasts ; and in 
countries still more southly, we saw people who had but one eye in their fore¬ 
heads.” 2 

This same holy Father bears an equally unquestionable testi¬ 
mony to several resurrections of the dead, of which he himself had 
been an eye-witness. 

In a book written “ towards the close of the second century, by 
some zealous believer,” and fathered upon one Nicodemus, who is 
said to have been a disciple of Christ Jesus, we find the following: 

“AVe all know the blessed Simeon, the high priest, who took Jesus when an 
infant into his arms in the temple. This same Simeon had two sons of his own, 
and we loere all present at their death and funeral. Go therefore and see their 


J “ Si me tamen andire velis, mallem le paenas 
has dicere indefinitas quam infinitas. Sed veniet 
dies, cum non minus absurda, habebitur et 
odiosa haec opinio quam transubstantiatio 
hodie.” (De Statu Mort., p. 304. Quoted in 
Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 43.) 

2 Quoted in Taylor's Syntagma, p. 52. 

Among the ancients, there were many stories 
current of countries, the inhabitants of which 
were of peculiar size, form or features. Our 
Christian saint evidently believed these tales, 
and thinking thus, sought to make others be¬ 
lieve them. We find the following examples 
related by Herodotus: “ Aristeas, son of Cay- 
strobius, a native of Proconesus, says in his 
epic verses that, inspired by Apollo, he came 
to the Isscdonos; that beyond the Issedones 
dwell the Arimaspians, a people that have only 
one eye.'"' (Herodotus, book iv. ch. 13.) “When 
one has passed through a considerable extent 


of the rugged country (of the Seythians), a 
people are found living at the foot of lofty 
mountains, who are said to be all bald from 
their birth , both men and women alike, and 
they are flat-nosed, and have large chins.” 
(Ibid. ch. 23.) “ These bald men say, what to 
me is incredible, that men with goat's feet in¬ 
habit these mountains ; and when one has 
passed beyond them, other men are found, who 
sleep six months at a time , but this I do not at 
all admit.” (Ibid. ch. 24.) In the country west¬ 
ward of Libya, “there are enormous serpents, 
and lions, elephants, bears, asps, and asses 
with horns, and monsters with dog’s heads 
and without heads, who have eyes in their 
breasts, at least, as the Libyans say, and wild 
men and wild women, and many other wild 
beasts which are nbt fabulous.” (Ibid. ch. 
192.) 



438 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


tombs, for these are open, ami they are risen ; and behold, they arc in the city of 
Arima theca, spending their time together in offices of devotion .’ 1 

Eusebius, “ the Father of ecclesiastical history,” Bishop of Caes¬ 
area, and one of the most prominent personages at the Council of 
JSTicc, relates as truth, the ridiculous story of King Agbarus writing 
a letter to Christ Jesus, and of Jesus’ answer to the same. 2 And 
Socrates relates how the Empress Helen, mother of the Emperor 
Constantine, went to Jerusalem for the purpose of finding, if pos¬ 
sible, “the cross of Christ.” This she succeeded in doing, also the 
nails with which he was nailed to the cross. 3 4 

Beside forging, lying, and deceiving for the cause of Christ, 
the Christian Fathers destroyed all evidence against themselves and 
their religion, which they came across. Christian divines seem to 
have always been afraid of too much light. In the very infancy 
of printing, Cardinal AVolsey foresaw its effect on Christianity, and 
in a speech to the clergy, publicly forewarned them, that, if they 
did not destroy the Press , the Press would destroy them* There 
can be no doubt, that had the objections of Porphyry, 5 6 Ilierocles, 0 
Celsus, 7 and other opponents of the Christian faith, been permitted 
to come down to us, the plagiarism in the Christian Scriptures from 
previously existing Pagan documents, is the specific charge they 
would have presented us. But these were ordered to be burned, 
by the prudent piety of the Christian emperors. 

In Alexandria, in Egypt, there was an immense library, founded 
by the Ptolemies. This library was situated in the Alexandrian 
Museum; the apartments which were allotted for it were beautifully 
sculptured, and crowded with the choicest statues and pictures ; the 
building was built of marble. This library eventually comprised 


1 Nicodemus, Apoc., ch. xii. 

2 See Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 1, ch. xiv. 

3 Socrates : Eccl. Hist., lib. 1, ch. xiii. 

4 In the year 1444, Caxton published the 
first book ever printed in England. In 1474, 
the then Bishop of London, in a convocation 
of his clergy, said: “ If we do not destroy 

this dangerous invention , it will one day de¬ 
stroy us." (See Middleton’s Letters from 
Rome, p. 4.) The reader should compare this 
with Pope Leo X.’s avowal that, “ it is well 
known how profitable this fable of Christ has 
been to us and Archdeacon Paley’s declara¬ 
tion that "he could ill afford to have a con¬ 
science." 

6 Porphyry , who nourished about the year 
.270 a.d., a man of great abilities, published a 

large work of fifteen books against the Chris¬ 
tians. “ ILs objections against Christianity,” 
says Dr. Lardner, “ were in esteem with Gentile 


people for a long while ; and the Christians 
were not insensible of the importance of his 
work ; as may be concluded from the several 
answers made to it by Eusebius, and others 
in great repute for learning.” (Vol. viii. p. 
158.) There are but fragments of these fifteen 
books remaining, Chrisiian magistrates hav¬ 
ing ordered them to be destroyed. (Ibid.) 

6 Ilierocles was a Neo-Piatonist, who lived 
at Alexandria about the middle of the fifth 
century, and enjoyed a great reputation. lie 
was the author of a great number of works, 
a few extracts of which alone remain. 

7 Celsus was an Epicurean philosopher, who 
lived in the second century a.d. He wrote a 
work called ‘‘The True Word,” against Chris¬ 
tianity, but as it has been destroyed we know- 
nothing about it. Origen claims to give quota 
tions from it. 



WIIY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


439 


four hundred thousand volumes. In the course of time, probably 
on account of inadequate accommodation for so many books, an 
additional library was established, and placed in the temple of Ser- 
apis. The number of volumes in this library, which was called the 
daughter of that in the museum, was eventually three hundred 
thousand. There were, therefore, seven hundred thousand volumes 
in these royal collections. 

In the establishment of the museum, Ptolemy Soter, and his 
son Philadelphus, had three objects in view : 1. The perpetuation 
of such knowledge as was then in the world ; 2. Its increase ; 3. Its 
diffusion. 

1. For the perpetuation of knowledge. Orders were given to 
the chief librarian to buy, at the king’s expense, whatever books he 
could. A body of transcribers was maintained in the museum, 
whose duty it w T as to make correct copies of such works as their 
owners were not disposed to sell. Any boohs brought by foreigners 
into Egypt were taken at once to the museum, and when correct 
copies had been made, the transcript was given to the owner, and 
the original placed in the library. Often a very large pecuniary 
indemnity was paid. 

2. For the increase of knowledge. One of the chief objects of 
the museum was that of serving as the home of a body of men who 
devoted themselves to study, and were lodged and maintained at 
the king’s expense, In the original organization of the museum 
the residents were divided into four faculties,—Literature, Mathe¬ 
matics, Astronomy, and Medicine. An officer of very great dis¬ 
tinction presided over the establishment, axid had general charge of 
its interests. Demetius Phalareus, perhaps the most learned man 
of his age, who had been Governor of Athens for many years, was 
the first so appointed. Under him was'the librarian, an office 
sometimes held by men whose names have descended to our times, 
as Eratosthenes and Apollonius Phodius. In connection with the 
museum was a botanical and a zoological garden. These gardens, 
as their names imply, were for the purpose of facilitating the study 
of plants and animals. There was also an astronomical observa¬ 
tory, containing arm illary spheres, globes, solstitial and equatorial 
armils, astrolabes, parallactic rules, and other apparatus then in 
use, the graduation on the divided instruments being into degrees 
and sixths. 

3. For the diffusion of knowledge. In the museum was given, 
by lectures, conversation, or other appropriate methods, instruction 
in all the various departments of human knowledge. 


440 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


There flocked to this great intellectual centre , students from all 
countries. It is said that at one time not fewer than fourteen 
thousand were in attendance. Subsequently even the Christian 
church received from it some of the most eminent of its Fathers, as 
Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, Athanasius, Ac. 

The library in the museum was burned during the siege of Alex¬ 
andria by Julius Csesar. To make amends for this great loss, the 
library collected by Eumenes, King of Pergamus, was presented by 
Mark Antony to Queen Cleopatra. Originally it was founded as 
a rival to that of the Ptolemies. It was added to the collection in 
the Serapion, or the temple of Serapis. 1 

It was not destined, however, to remain there many centuries, 
as this very valuable library was willfully destroyed by the Christian 
Theophflus, and on the spot where this beautiful temple of Serapis 
stood, in fact, on its very foundation, was erected a church in honor , 
of the “ noble army of martyrs,” who had never existed. 

This we learn from the historian Gibbon, who says that, after 
this library was destroyed, “ the appearance of the empty shelves 
excited the regret and indignation of every spectator, whose mind 
was not totally darkened by religious prejudice.” 3 

The destruction of this library was almost the death-blow to 
free-thought — wherever Christianity ruled — for more than a 
thousand years. 

The death-blow was soon to be struck, however, which was 
done by Saint Cyril , who succeeded Theophilus as Bishop of 
Alexandria. 

Iiypathia , the daughter of Theon, the mathematician, endeav¬ 
ored to continue the old-time instructions. Each day before her 
academy stood a long train of chariots; her lecture-room was 
crowded with the wealth and fashion of Alexandria. They came 
to listen to her discourses on those questions which man in all ages 
has asked, but which have never yet been answered : “ What am I ? 
Where am I \ What can I know ?” 

Iiypathia and Cyril; philosophy and bigotry ; they cannot exist 
together. As Iiypathia repaired to her academy, she was assaulted 
by (Saint) Cyril’s mob — a mob of many monks. Stripped naked 
in the street, she was dragged into a church, and there killed by the 
club of Peter the Reader. The corpse was cut to pieces, the flesh 
was scraped from the bones with shells, and the remnants cast into 
a fire. For this frightful crime Cyril was never called to account. 


1 Draper: Religion and Science, pp. 18-21. 


2 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iii. p. 146. 





WIIY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


441 


It seemed to be admitted that the end sanctified the means. So 
ended Greek philosophy in Alexandria , so came to an untimely 
close tlie learning that the Ptolemies had done so much to pro¬ 
mote. 

The fate of Ilvpatliia was a warning to all who would cultivate 
profane knowledge. Henceforth there was to be no freedom for 
human thought. Every one must think as ecclesiastical authority 
ordered him * a.d. 414. In Athens itself philosophy awaited its 
doom. Justinian at length prohibited its teaching and caused all 
its schools in that city to be closed. 1 

After this followed the long and dreary dark ages , but the sun 
of science , that bright and glorious luminary, was destined to rise 
again. 

The history of this great Alexandrian library is one of the 
keys which unlock the door, and exposes to our view the manner 
in which the Hindoo incarnate god Grishna , and the meek and be¬ 
nevolent Buddha , came to be worshiped under the name of Christ 
Jesus. For instance, we have just seen : 

1. That, “ orders were given to the chief librarian to buy at the 
king’s expense whatever books he could I 

2. That, “one of the chief objects of the museum was that of 
serving as the home of a body of men who devoted themselves to 
study.” 

3. That, “ any books brought by foreigners into Egypt were 
taken at once to the museum and correct copies made.” 

4. That, “ there flocked to this great intellectual centre students 
from all countries.” 

5. That, “the Christian church received from it some of the 
( most eminent of its Fathers.” 

And also: 

6. That, the chief doctrines of the Gnostic Christians “ had been 
held for centuries before their time in many of the cities in Asia 
Minor. There, it is probable, they first came into existence as 
‘ Mystse,’ upon the establishment of a direct intercourse with India 
under the Seleucidae and the Ptolemies.” 

7. That, “ the College of Essenes at Ephesus, the Orpliies of 
Thrace, the Curetes of Crete, are all merely branches of one an¬ 
tique and common religion, and that originally Asiatic .” 

8. That, “ the introduction of Buddhism into Egypt and Pales - 


i Draper: Religion and Science, pp. 55, 5G. See also, Socrates’ Eecl. Hist., lib. 7, ch. xv. 





442 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


tine affords the only true solution of innumerable difficulties in 
the history of religion” 

9. That, “ Buddhism had actually been planted in the dominions 
of the Seleucidae and Ptolemies (Palestine belonging to the former) 
before the beginning of the third century b. c., and is proved to 
demonstration by a passage in the edicts of Asoka.” 

10. That, “ it is very likely that the commentaries (Scriptures) 
which were among them (the Essenes ) were the Gospels.” 

11. That, “ the principal doctrines and rites of the Essenes can 
be connected with the East, with Parsism, and especially with 
Buddhism .” 

12. That, “ among the doctrines which the Essenes and Budd¬ 
hists had in common was that of the Angel-Messiah.” 

13. That, “they (the Essenes) had a flourishing university or 
corporate body, established at Alexandria , in Egypt , long before the 
period assigned for the birth of Christ.” 

14. That, “ the very ancient and Eastern doctrine of the Angel- 
ALessiah had been applied to Gautama Buddha, and so it was ap¬ 
plied to Jesus Christ by the Essenes of Egypt and Palestine , who 
introduced this new Messianic doctrine into Essenic J udaism and 
Essenic Christianity.” 

15. Tiiat, “ we hear very little of them (the Essenes) after a.d. 
40; and there can hardly be any doubt that the Essenes as a body 
must have embraced Christianity.” 

Here is the solution of the problem. The sacred books of 
Hindoos and Buddhists were among the Essenes , and in the library 
at Alexandria. The Essenes , who were afterwards called Chris¬ 
tians , applied the legend of the Angel-Messiah —“ the very ancient 
Eastern doctrine,” which we have shown throughout this work — 
to Christ Jesus. It was simply a transformation of names, a trans¬ 
formation which had previously occurred in many cases. 1 After 
this came additions to the legend from other sources. Portions of 
the legends related of the Persian, Greek and Roman Saviours and 
Redeemers of mankind, were, from time to time, added to the 
already legendary history of the Christian Saviour. Thus his- 


1 Wo liave seen this particularly in the cases 
of Crishna and Buddha. Mr. Cox, speaking of 
the former, says : '* If it be urged that the at¬ 
tribution to Crishna of qualities or powers be¬ 
longing to the other deities is a mere device 
by which his devocees sought to supersede the 
more ancient gods, the answer must be that 
nothing has been done in his case which has not 


been done in the case of almost every other mem¬ 
ber of the great company of the gods." (Aryan 
Mythology, vol. ii. p. 130.) These words apply 
to the case we have before us. Jesus was sim¬ 
ply attributed with the qualities or powers 
which had been previously attributed to 
other deities. This we hope to be able to fully 
demonstrate in our chapter on “ Explanation." 1 





WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


443 


tory was repeating itself. Thus the virgin-born God and Saviour, 
worshiped by all nations of the earth, though called by different 
names, was but one and the same. 

In a subsequent chapter we shall see who this One God was, and 
how the myth originated. 

Albert Iteville says: 

“ Alexandria, the home of Philonism, and Neo-Platonism (and we might add 
Essenisrri), was naturally the centre whence spread the dogma of the deity of Jesus 
Christ. In that city, through the third century, flourished a school of transcen¬ 
dental theology, afterwards looked upon with suspicion by the conservators of 
ecclesiastical doctrine, but not the less the real cradle of orthodoxy. It was still 
the Platonic tendency which influenced the speculations of Clement, Origen and 
Dionysius, and the theory of the Logos was at the foundation of their the¬ 
ology.” 1 

Among the numerous gospels in circulation among the Chris¬ 
tians of the first three centuries, there was one entitled “The 
Gospel of the Egyptians” Epiphanius (a. d. 385), speaking of 
it, says: 

“Many things are proposed (in this Gospel of the Egyptians) in a hidden, 
mysterious manner, as by our Saviour, as though he had said to his disciples, 
that the Father was the same person, the Son the same person, and the Holy 
Ghost the same person. ” 

That this was one of the “ Scriptures ” of the Essenes, becomes 
very evident when we find it admitted by the most learned of 
Christian theologians that it was in existence “ before either of the 
canonical Gospels” and that it contained the doctrine of the Trin¬ 
ity , a doctrine not established in the Christian church until a. d. 
327, but which was taught by this Buddhist sect in Alexandria, in 
Egypt, which has been well called, “ Egypt, the land of Trinities.” 

The learned Dr. Grabe thought it was composed by some Chris¬ 
tians in Egypt , and that it was published before either of the canon¬ 
ical Gospels. Dr. Mill also believed that it was composed "before 
either of the canonical Gospels , and, what is more important than 
all, that the authors of it were Essenes. 

These “ Scriptures ” of tlie Essenes were undoubtedly amalga¬ 
mated with the “ Gospels ” of the Christians , the result being the 
canonical Gospels as we now have them. The “ Gospel of the 
Hebrews,” and such like, on the one hand, and the “ Gospel of the 
Egyptians,” or Essenes, and such like, on the other. That the 
“ Gospel of the Hebrews ” spoke of Jesus of Nazareth as the son of 
Joseph and Mary, according to the flesh, and that it taught nothing 
about his miracles, his resurrection from the dead, and other such 


i “ Dogma of the Deity of Jesus Christ," p. 41. 





444 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


prodigies, is admitted on all hands. That the “ Scriptures ’ of the 
Essenes contained the whole legend of the Angel-Messiah, which 
was afterwards added to the history of Jesus, making him a Christ, 
or an Anointed Angel , is a probability almost to a certainty. Do w T e 
now understand how all the traditions and legends, originally In¬ 
dian /, escaping from the great focus through Egypt, were able to 
reach Judea, Greece and Dome ? 

To continue with our subject, “ why Christianity prospered,” 
we must now speak of another great support to the cause, i. e., 
Persecution . Ernest de Bunsen, speaking of Buddha, says : 

“ His religion has never been propagated by the sword. It has been effected 
entirely by the influence of peaceable and persevering devotees.*’ 

Can wc say as much for what is termed “ the religion of Christ ?” 
No! this religion has had the aid of the sword and firebrand, the 
rack and the thumb-screw. “Persecution ” is to be seen written on 
the pages of ecclesiastical history, from the time of Constantine even 
to the present day. 1 This Christian emperor and saint was the first 
to check free-thought. 

“ We search in vain,” (says M. Renan), “ in the collection of Roman laws be¬ 
fore Constantine, for any enactment aimed at free thought, or in the history of 
the emperors, for a persecution of abstract doctrine. Hot a single savant was 
disturbed. Men whom the Middle Ages would have burned—such as Galen, Lu¬ 
cian, Plotinus—lived in peace, protected by the law.” 2 

Born and educated a pagan, Constantine embraced the Christian 
faith from the following motives. Having committed horrid crimes, 

o o J 

in fact, having committed murders, 3 and, 

“ When lie would have had his (Pagan) priests purge him by sacrifice, of 
these horrible murders, and could not have his purpose (for they answered 
plainly, it lay not in their power to cleanse him) 4 he lighted at last upon an 
Egyptian who came out of Iberia, and being persuaded by him that the Chris¬ 
tian faith was of force to wipe away every sin, were it ever so heinous, he em¬ 
braced willingly at whatever the Egyptian told him.” 5 6 


1 Adherents of the old religion of Russia 
have been persecuted in that country within 
the past year, and even in enlightened Eng¬ 
land, a gentleman has been persecuted by gov¬ 
ernment officials because he believes in neither 
a personal God or a personal Devil. 

2 Renan, Ilibbcrt Lectures, p. 22. 

3 The following are the names of his vic¬ 


tims : 

Maximinian, His wife’s father, a.d. 310 

Bassianus, His sister’s husband, a.d. 314 

Licinianus, His nephew, a.d. 319 

Fausta, His wife, a.d. 320 

Sopater, His former friend, a.d. 321 

Licinius, His sister’s husband, a.d. 323 

Crispis, His own son, a.d. 325 

Dr. Lardner, in speaking of the murders 


committed by this Christian saint, is con¬ 

strained to say that: “ The death of Crispis is 
altogether without any good excuse, so like¬ 

wise is the death of the young Licinianus, 
who could not have been more than a little 
above eleven years of age, and appears not to 
have been charged with any fault, and could 
hardly be suspected of any.” 

4 The Emperor Nero could not be baptized 
and be initiated into Pagan Mysteries— 
as Constantine was initiated into those of the 

Christians—on account of the murder of his 
mother. And he did not dare to compel—- 
which he certainly could have done—the 
priests to initiate him. 

6 Socrates, lib. 3, cli. 40, as rendered by 
Rev. It. Taylor: Diegesis, p. 352. 




WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


445 


Mons. Dupuis, speaking of this conversion, says: 

“Constantine, soiled with all sorts of crimes, and stained with the blood of 
his wife, after repeated perjuries and assassinations, presented himself before 
the heathen priests in order to be absolved of so many outrages he had committed. 
He was answered, that amongst the various kinds of expiations, there was none 
which could expiate so many crimes, and that no religion whatever could offer 
efficient protection against the justice of the gods ; and Constantine was em¬ 
peror. One of the courtiers of the palace, who witnessed the trouble and agita¬ 
tion of his mind, toru by remorse, which nothing could appease, informed him, 
that the evil he was suffering was not without a remedy ; that there existed in 
the religion of the Christians certain purifications, which expiated every kind of 
misdeeds, of whatever nature, and in whatsoever number they were: that one 
of the promises of the religion was, that whoever was converted to it, as impious 
and as great a villain as he might be, could hope that his crimes were immediately 
forgotten. 1 From that moment, Constantine declared himself the protector of a 
sect which treats great criminals with so much lenity. 2 Fie was a great villain, 
who tried to lull himself with illusions to smother his remorse.” 3 

By the delay of baptism, a person who had accepted the true 
faith could venture freely to indulge their passions in the enjoyment 
of this world, while they still retained in their own hands the means 
of salvation; therefore, we find that Constantine, although he ac¬ 
cepted the faith, did not get baptized until he was on his death-bed, 
as he wished to continue, as long as possible, the wicked life he was 
leading. Mr. Gibbon, speaking of him, says : 

“The example and reputation of Constantine seemed to countenance the 
delay of bapti-m. Future tyrants were encouraged to believe, that the innocent 
blood which they might shed in a long reign would instantly be washed away 
in the waters of regeneration ; and the abuse of religion dangerously under¬ 
mined the foundations of moral virtue.” 4 


1 “ The sacrament of baptism was supposed 
to contain a full and absolute expiation of sin ; 
and the soul was instantly restored to its 
original purity, and entitled to the promise of 
eternal salvation. Among the proselytes of 
Christianity, there were many who judged it 
imprudent to precipitate a salutary rite, which 
could not be repeated. By the delay of their 
baptism, they could venture freely to indulge 
their passions in the enjoyments of this world, 
while they still retained in their own hands 
the means of a sure and speedy absolution.” 
(Gibbon : ii. pp. 272, 273.) 

2 “ Constantine, as he was praying about 
noon-tide, God showed him a vision in the 

sky, which was the sign of the cross lively 
figured in the air, with this inscription on 

it: ‘In hoc vincc;’ that is, 4 By this over¬ 
come.’ ” This is the story as related by Euse¬ 
bius (Life of Constantine, lib. 1, ch. xxii.), but 
it must be remembered that Eusebius acknowl¬ 
edged that he told falsehoods. That night 
Christ appeared unto Constantine in his dream, 
and commanded him to make the figure of the 


cross which he had seen, and to wear it in 
his banner when he went to battle with his 
enemies. (See Eusebius’ Life of Constantine, 
lib. 1, ch. xxiii. See also, Socrates : Eccl. 
Hist., lib. 1, ch. ii.) 

3 Dupuis, p. 405. 

4 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p. 373. The 
Fathers, who censured this criminal delay, 
could not deny the certain and victorious effi¬ 
cacy even of a death-bed baptism. The in¬ 
genious rhetoric of Chrysostom (a.d. 347-407) 
could find only three arguments against these 
prudent Christians. 1. 44 That we should love 
and pursue virtue for her own sake, and not 
merely for the reward. 2. That we may be 
surprised by death without an opportunity of 
baptism. 3. That although we shall be placed 
in heaven, we shall only twinkle like little 
stars, when compared to the suns of righte¬ 
ousness who have run their appointed course 
with labor, with success, and with glory.” 
(Chrysostom in Epist. ad Hebraeos, Homil. xiii. 
Quoted in Gibbon’s 44 Rome,” ii. 272.) 



446 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Eusebius, in bis “ Life of Constantine,” tells us tliat: 

“ When he thought that he teas near his death, lie confessed liis sins, desiring 
pardon for them of God, and was baptized. 

“ Before doing so, lie assembled the bishops of Nicomedia together, and spake 
thus unto them : 

“ ‘ Brethren, the salvation which I have earnestly desired of God these many 
years, I do now this day expect. It is time therefore that we should be sealed 
and signed with the badge of immortality. And though I proposed to receive it 
in the river Jordan, in which our Saviour for our example was baptized, yet God, 
knowing what is fittest for me, hath appointed that I shall receive it in this 
place, therefore let me not he delayed.' ” 

“And so, after the service of baptism was read, they baptized him with all 
the ceremonies belonging to this mysterious sacrament. So that Constantine 
was the first of all the emperors who was regenerated by the new T birth of bap¬ 
tism, and that was signed with the sign of the cross.” 1 

When Constantine had heard the good news from the Christian 
monk from Egypt, lie commenced by conferring many dignities on 
the Christians, and those only who were addicted to Christianity, 
lie made governors of his provinces, Ac. 2 He then issued edicts 
against heretics,— i. e., those who, like Arius, did not believe that 
Christ was “ of one substance with the Father ,” and others — call¬ 
ing them “ enemies of truth and eternal life,” “ authors and council¬ 
lors of death,” Ac. 3 He “ commanded by law ” that none should 
dare “to meet at conventicles,” and that “all places where they 
were wont to keep their meetings should be demolished” or “ con¬ 
fiscated to the Catholic church;” 4 and Constantine was emperor. 
“ By this means,” says Eusebius, “ such as maintained doctrines 
and opinions contrary to the church , were suppressed .” 5 

This Constantine, says Eusebius : 

“ Caused liis image to be engraven on liis gold coins, in tbe form of prayer, 
with bis bands joined together, and looking up towards Heaven.” “And over 
divers gates of bis palace, be was drawn praying, and lifting up bis bands and 
eyes to heaven.” 6 

After his death, “effigies of this blessed man ” were engraved 
on the Roman coins, “ sitting in and driving a chariot, and a hand 
reached down from heaven to receive and take him up.” 7 

The hopes of wealth and honors, the example of an emperor, 
his exhortations, his irresistible smiles, diffused conviction among 1 

Plato places the ferocious tyrants in the 
Tartarus, such as Ardiacus of Pamphylia, who 
had slain his own father, a venerable old 
man, also an elder brother, and was stained 
with a great many other crimes. Constantine, 
covered with similar crimes, was better treated 
by the Christians, who have sent him to heaven, 
and sainted him besides. 


1 Lib. 4, chs. lxi. and lxii., and Socrates: 
Eccl. Ilist., Jib. 2, ch. xxvi. 

2 Eusebius : Life of Constantine, lib. 2, ch. 
xliii. 

3 Ibid. lib. 3, ch. lxii. 

4 Ibid. lib. 3, ch. lxiii. 

6 Ibid. lib. 3, ch. Ixiv. 

® Ibid. lib. 4, ch. xv. 

7 Ibid ch. lxiii. 





WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


447 


the venal and obsequious crowds which unsually till the apart¬ 
ments of a palace, and as the lower ranks of society are governed 
by example, the conversion of those who possessed any eminence 
of birth, of ]:>ower, or of riches, was soon followed by dependent 
multitudes. Constantine passed a law which gave freedom to all 
the slaves who should embrace Christianity, and to those who were 
not slaves, he gave a white garment and twenty pieces of gold, 
upon their embracing the Christian faith. The common people 
were thus purchased at such an easy rate that, in one year, twelve 
thousand men were baptized at Rome, besides a proportionable 
number of women and children . 1 

To suppress the opinions of philosophers, which were contrary 
to Christianity, the Christian emperors published edicts. The 
respective decrees of the emperors Constantine and Theodosius , 3 
generally ran in the words, “that all writings adverse to the claims 
of the Christian religion, in the possession of whomsoever they 
should be found, should be committed to the fire,” as the pious em¬ 
perors would not that those things tending to provoke God to 
wrath, should be allowed to offend the minds of the piously dis¬ 
posed. 

The following is a decree of the Emperor Theodosius of this 
purport: 

“We decree, therefore, that all writings, whatever, which Porphyry or any 
one else hath written against the Christian religion, in the possession of whomso¬ 
ever they shall be found should be committed to the tire ; for we would not 
suffer any of those things so much as to come to men’s ears, which tend to pro¬ 
voke God to wrath and offend the minds of the pious.”* 

A similar decree of the emperor for establishing the doctrine of 
the Trinity, concludes with an admonition to all who shall object 
to it, that, 

“ Besides the condemnation of divine justice, they must expect to suffer the se¬ 
vere penalties, which our authority, guided by heavenly wisdom, may think 
proper to inflict upon them .” 4 

This orthodox emperor (Theodosius) considered every heretic 
(as lie called those who did not believe as he and his ecclesiastics 
professed ) a rebel against the supreme powers of heaven and of 


1 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p. 274. 
a “ Theodosius, though a professor of the 
orthodox Christian faith, was not baptized till 
380, and his behavior after that period stamps 
him as one of the most cruel and vindictive 
persecutors who ever wore the purple. His 
arbitrary establishment of the Nicene faith 
over the whole empire, the deprivation of 


civil rites of all apostates from Christianity 
and of the Eunomians, the sentence of 
death on the Manicheans, and Quart o-deci mans, 
all prove this.” (Chambers’s Encyclo., art. 
Theodosius.') 

3 Quoted in Taylor’s Syntagma, p. 54. 

4 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. iii. p. 81. 



448 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


eartli (lie being one of tlie supreme powers of earth), and each of 
the ‘powers might exercise their peculiar jurisdiction over the soul 
and body of the guilty . 

The decrees of the Council of Constantinople had ascertains 
the true standard of the faith, and the ecclesiastics , who governed 
the conscience of Theodosius , suggested the most effectual methods 
of persecution. In the space of lifteen years he promulgated at 
least fifteen severe edicts against the heretics, more especially 
against those who rejected the doctrine of the Trinityl 

Arius (the presbyter of whom we have spoken in Chapter 
XXXV., as declaring that, in the nature of things, a father must 
be older than his son) was excommunicated for his so-called hereti¬ 
cal notions concerning the Trinity. His followers, who were very 
numerous, were called Arians. Their writings, if they had been 
permitted to exist? would undoubtedly contain the lamentable story 
of the persecution which affected the church under the reign of the 
impious Emperor Theodosius . 

In Asia Minor the people were persecuted by orders of Con¬ 
stantins, and these orders were more than obeyed by Macedonius. 
The civil and military powers were ordered to obey his commands ; 
the consequence was, he disgraced the reign of Constantins. “The 
rites of baptism were conferred on women and children, who, for 
that purpose, had been torn from the arms of their friends and pa¬ 
rents ; the mouths of the communicants were held open by a 
wooden engine, while the consecrated bread was forced .down their 
throats; the breasts of tender virgins were either burned with red- 
hot egg-shells, or inhumanly compressed between sharp and heavy 
boards .” 1 2 3 The principal assistants of Macedonius — the tool of 
Constantius—in the work of persecution, were the two bishops 
of Xicomedia and Cyzicus, who were esteemed for their virtues, and 
especially for their charity . 4 

Julian, the successor of Constantius, has described some of the 
theological calamities which afflicted the empire, and more espec¬ 
ially in the East, in the reign of a prince who was the slave of his 
own passions, and of those of his eunuchs : “ Many were imprisoned, 
and persecuted, and driven into exile. Whole troops of those who 
are styled heretics were massacred, particularly at Cyzicus, and 
at Samosata. In Paphlagonia, Bithynia, Gallatia, and in many 

1 Gibbon’s Home, vol. iii. pp. 91, 92. 3 Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p. 359. 

2 All their writings were ordered to be de- * Ibid, note 154. 

stroyed. 


/ 



I7HY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED. 


449 


other provinces, towns and villages were laid waste, and utterly 
destroyed .” 1 2 

Persecutions in the name of Christ Jesus were inflicted on the 
heathen in most every part of the then known world. Even among 
the Norwegians, the Christian sword was unsheathed. They clung 
tenaciously to the worship of their forefathers, and numbers of them 
died real martyrs for their faith, after suffering the most cruel tor¬ 
ments from their persecutors. It was by sheer compulsion that the 
Norwegians embraced Christianity. The reign of Olaf Tryggvason, 
a Christian king of Norway, was in fact entirely devoted to the 
propagation of the new faith, by means the most revolting to hu¬ 
manity. His general practice was to enter a district at the head of 
a formidable force, summon a Thing* and give the people the al¬ 
ternative of fighting with him, or of being baptized. Most of them, 
of course, preferred baptism to the risk of a battle with an adversary 
so well prepared for combat; and the recusants were tortured to 
death with fiend-like ferocity, and their estates confiscated . 3 

These are some of the reasons “why Christianity prospered.” 


1 Julian : Epistol. lii. p. 436. Quoted in striking their shields with their drawn swords. 

Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p. 360. 3 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, pp. 180, 

2 “ Thing ”—a general assembly of the free- 351, and 470. 

men, who gave their assent to a measure by 

29 



CHAPTER XXXYIII. 


THE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN RELIGIONS. 

We shall how compare the great antiquity of the sacred books 
and religions of Paganism with those of the Christian, so that there 
may be no doubt as to which is the original, and which the copy. 
Allusions to this subject have already been made throughout this 
work, we shall therefore devote as little space to it here as possible. 

In speaking of the sacred literature of India, Prof. Monier Wil¬ 
liams says: 

“ Sanskrit literature, embracing as it does nearly every branch of knowledge 
is entirely deficient in one department. It is wholly destitute of trustworthy 
historical records. Hence, little or nothing is known of the lives of ancient In¬ 
dian authors, and the dates of their most celebrated works cannot be fixed with 
certainty. A fair conjecture, however, may be arrived at by comparing the most 
ancient with the more modern compositions, and estimating the period of time 
required to effect the changes of structure and idiom observable in the language. 
In this manner we may be justified in assuming that the hymns of the Veda were 
probably composed by a succession of poets at different dates between 1500 and 
1000 years b. c.” 1 

Prof. Wm. D. Whitney shows the great antiquity of the Yedic 
hymns from the fact that, 

“ The language of the Vedas is an older dialect, varying very considerably, 
both in its grammatical and lexical character, from the classical Sanscrit.” 

And M. de Coulanges, in his “ Ancient City,” says : 

“We learn from the hymns of the Vedas, which are certainly very ancient, 
and from the law's of Manu,” “what the Aryans of the east thought nearly 
thirty-five centuries ago.” 2 

That the Vedas are of very high antiquity is unquestionable; 
but however remote we may place the period when they were writ¬ 
ten, we must necessarily presuppose that the Hindostanic race had 


1 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 19. See also, Prof. 
Max Muller’s Lectures on the Origin of Re¬ 

ligion, pp. 145-158, and p. 67, where he speaks 
of “the Hindus, who, thousands of years ago, 


had reached in Upanishads the loftiest heights 
of philosophy.” 

2 The Ancient City, p. 13. 


[450J 




THE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN RELIGIONS. 


451 


already attained to a comparatively high degree of civilization, 
otherwise men capable of framing such doctrines could not have 
been found. Now this state of civilization must necessarily have 
been preceded by several centuries of barbarism, during which we 
cannot possibly admit a more refined faith than the popular belief 
in elementary deities. 

We shall see in our next chapter that these very ancient Yedic 
hymns contain the origin of the legend of the Virgin-born God and 
Saviour, the great benefactor of mankind, who is finally put to 
death, and rises again to life and immortality on the third day. 

The Geetas and Pur anas, although of a comparatively modern 
date, are, as we have already seen, nevertheless composed of matter 
to be found in the two great epic poems, the Pamayana and the 
Mahabharata , which were written many centuries before the time 
assigned as that of the birth of Christ Jesus. 1 2 

The Pali sacred books, which contain the legend of the virgin- 
born God and Saviour — Sommona Cadom — are known to have 
been in existence 316 b. c. 3 

We have already seen that the religion known as Buddhism, 
and which corresponds in such a striking manner with Christianity, 
has now existed for upwards of twenty-four hundred years. 3 

Prof. Bhys Davids says : 

“ There is ever}’- reason to believe that the Pilakas (the sacred books which 
contain the legend of ‘ The Buddha ’), now extant in Ceylon, are substantially iden- ' 
tical with the books of the Southern Canon, as settled at the Council of Patna 
about the year 250 b. c. 4 As no works would have been received into the Canon 
which were not then believed to be very old, the Pitakas may be approximately 
placed in the fourth century b. c., and parts of them possibly reach back very 
nearly, if not quite, to the time of Gautama himself.” 5 

The religion of the ancient Persians , which corresponds in so 
very many respects with that of the Christians, was established by 
Zoroaster—who was undoubtedly a Brahman 6 * * —and is contained 


1 See Monier Williams 1 Hinduism, pp. 109, 
110, and Indian Wisdom, p. 493. 

2 See Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 57G, for the 
authority of Prof. Max Miller. 

3 “ The religion known as Buddhism—from 
the title of ‘The Buddha, 1 meaning ‘The 
Wise, 1 ‘ The Enlightened ’—has now existed 
for 24G0 years, and may be said to be the 
prevailing religion of the world. 11 (Chambers’s 
Encyclo.) 

4 This Council was assembled by Asoka in 

the eighteenth year of his reign. The name 

of this king is honored wherever the teachings 

of Buddha have spread, and is reverenced 

from the Volga to Japan, from Ceylon and 


Siam to the borders of Mongolia and Siberia. 
Like his Christian prototype Constantine, he 
was converted by a miracle. After his con¬ 
version, which took place in the tenth year of 
his reign, he became a very zealous supporter 
of the new religion. He himseif built many 
monasteries and dagabas, and provided many 
monks with the necessaries of life ; and he 
encouraged those about his court to do the 
same. He published edicts throughout his 
empire, enjoining on all his subjects morality 
and justice. 

6 Rhys Davids 1 Buddhism, p. 10. 

« See Chapter VII. 




452 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


in the Zend-Avesta , their sacred book or Bible. This book is very 
ancient. Prof. Max Muller speaks of u the sacred book of the 
Zoroastrians ” as being “ older in its language than the cuneiform 
inscriptions of Cyrus (b. c. 560), Darius (b. c. 520), and Xerxes (b. c. 
485) those ancient Kings of Persia, who knew that they were kings 
by the grace of Auramazda , and who placed his sacred image high 
on the mountain-records of Behistun.” 1 That ancient book, or its 
fragments, at least, have survived many dynasties and kingdoms, 
and is still believed in by a small remnant of the Persian race, 
now settled at Bombay, and known all over the world by the name 
of Parsees. 2 

“ The Babylonian and Phenician sacred books date back to a 
fabulous antiquity ; ” 3 * and so do the sacred books and religion of 

Egypt- 

Prof. Mahaffy, in his “ Prolegomena to Ancient History/’ says: 

“ There is indeed hardly a great and fruitful idea in the Jewish or Christian 
systems which has not its analogy in the Egyptian faith, and all these theological 
conceptions pervade the oldest religion of Egypt 

The worship of Osiris, the Lord and Saviour, must have been of 
extremely ancient date, for he is represented as “ Judge of the 
Dead,” in sculptures contemporary with the building of the Pyra¬ 
mids, centuries before Abraham is said to have been born. Anions: 
the many hieroglyphic titles which accompany liis figure in those 
sculptures, and in many other places on the walls of temples and 
tombs, are, “ Lord of Life,” “ The Eternal Ruler,” “ Manifester 
of Good,” “ Revealer of Truth,” “ Full of Goodness and Truth,” 
etc. 

In speaking of the “ Myth of Osiris,” Mr. Bonwick says: 

“This great mystery of the Egyptians demands serious consideration. Its 
antiquity—its universal hold upon the people for over five thousand j^ears—its 
identification with the very life of the nation— and its marvellous li/ceness to the 
creed of modern date, unite in exciting the greatest interest.” 5 


1 Muller: Lectures on the Science of Re¬ 

ligion, p. 235. 

3 This small tribe of Persians were driven 
from their native land by the Mohammedan 
conquerors under the Khalif Omar, in the 

seventh century of our era. Adhering to the 

ancient religion of Persia, which resembles 
that of the Veda, and bringing with them the 
records of their faith, the Zend-Avesta of their 
prophet Zoroaster, they settled down in the 
neighborhood of Surat, about one thousand one 
hundred years ago, and became great mer¬ 
chants and shipbuilders. For two or three 
centuries we know little of their history. 


Their religion prevented them from making 
proselytes, and they never multiplied within 
themselves to any extent, nor did they amal¬ 
gamate with the Hindoo population, so ihat 
even now their number only amounts to about 
seventy thousand. Nevertheless, from their 
busy, enterprising habits, in which they emulate 
Europeans, they form an important section 
of the population of Bombay and Western 
India. 

3 Movers : Quoted in Dunlap's Spirit Hist., 
p. 261. 

4 Prolegomena, p. 417. 

6 Eonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 162. 



THE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN RELIGIONS. 


453 


This myth, and that of Isis and Ilorus, were known before the 
Pyramid time. 1 

The worship of the Virgin Mother in Egypt—from which 
country it was imported into Europe 2 —dates back thousands of 
} T ears b. c. Mr. Bonwick says: 

“ In all probability she was worshiped three thousand years before Moses 
wrote. ‘Isis nursing her child Horus, was represented,’ says Mariette Bey, ‘ at 
least six thousand years ago.’ We read the name of Isis on monuments of the 
fourth dynast}’, and she lost none of her popularity to the close of the empire.” 

“ The Egyptian Bible is by far the most ancient of all holy books.” “ Plato 
was told that Egypt possessed hymns dating back ten thousand years before his 
time.” 3 

Bunsen says : 

“ The origin of the ancient prayers and hymns of the * Book of the Dead,’ is 
anterior to Menes; it implies that the system of Osirian worship and mythology 
was already formed.” 4 

And, says Mr. Bonwick: 

“ Besides opinions, we have facts as a basis for arriving at a conclusion, and 
justifying the assertion of Dr. Birch, that the work dated from a period long an¬ 
terior to the rise of Ammon worship at Thebes.” 3 

How, “this most ancient of all holy books,” establishes the fact 
that a virgin-born and resurrected Saviour was worshiped in Egypt 
thousands of year before the time of Christ Jesus. 

P. Le Page Benouf says: 

“ The earliest monuments which have been discovered present to us the very 
same fully-developed civilization and the same religion as the later monuments. 

. . . The gods whose names appear in the oldest tombs were worshiped down 

to the Christian times. The same kind of priesthoods which are mentioned in 
the tablets of Canopus and Rosetta in the Ptolemaic period are as ancient as 
the pyramids, and more ancient than any pyramid of which we know the 
date.” 6 

In regard to the doctrine of the Trinity. We have just seen 
that “ the development of the One God into a Trinity” pervades 
the oldest religion of Egypt, and the same may be said of India. 
Prof. Monier Williams, speaking on this subject, says: 

“It should be observed that the native commentaries on the Yeda often al¬ 
lude to thirty-three gods, which number is also mentioned in the Rig-Yeda. 
This is a multiple of three, which is a sacred number constantly appearing in the 
Hindu religious system. It is probable, indeed, that although the Tri-murti is 


1 Bonwiek's Egyptian Belief, p. 1G3. 

2 Ibid. p. 142, aud King's Gnostics, p. 71. 

s Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, pp. 185, 140, 

and 143. 


4 Quoted in Ibid. p. 186. 

5 Ibid. 

4 Renouf : Keligion of Ancient Egypt, p. 81. 




454 


.BIBLE MYTIIS. 


not named in the Yedic hymns, 1 yet the Yeda is the real source of this Triad of 
personifications, afterwards so conspicuous in Hindu mythology. This much, 
at least, is clear, that the Vedic poets exhibited a tendency to group all the 
forces and energies of nature under three heads, and the assertion that the num¬ 
ber of the gods was thirty-three, amounted to saying that each of the three lead¬ 
ing personifications was capable of eleven modifications.” 2 

The great antiquity of the legends referred to in this work is 
demonstrated in the fact that they were found in a great measure 
on the continent of America, by the first Europeans who set foot 
on its soil. JNow, how did they get there? Mr. Lundy, in his 
u Monumental Christianity,” speaking on this subject, says : 

“ So great was the resemblance between the two sacraments of the Christian 
Church (viz., that of Baptism and the Eucharist) and those of the ancient Mexi¬ 
cans ; so many other points of similarity, also, in doctrine existed, as to the 
unity of God, the Triad, the Creation, the Incarnation and Sacrifice, the Resur¬ 
rection, etc., that Herman Witsius, no mean scholar and thinker,was induced to 
believe that Christianity had been preached on this continent by some one of the 
apostles, perhaps St. Thomas, from the fact that he is reported to have carried 
the Gospel to India and Tartary, whence he came to America.” 3 

Some writers, who do not think that St. Thomas could have 
gotten to America, believe that St. Patrick, or some other saint, 
must have, in some unaccountable manner, reached the shores of 
the Western continent, and preached their doctrine there. 4 Others 
have advocated the devil theory, which is, that the devil, being 
jealous of the worship of Christ Jesus, set up a religion of liis own, 
and imitated, nearly as possible, the religion of Christ. All of 
these theories being untenable, we must, in the words of Burnoaf, 
the eminent French Orientalist, “ learn one day that all ancient 
traditions disfigured by emigration and legend, belong to the history 
of India” 

That America was inhabited by Asiatic emigrants, and that the 
American legends are of Asiatic origin , we believe to be indispu¬ 
table. There is an abundance of proof to this effect. 5 

In contrast to the great antiquity of the sacred books and relig¬ 
ions of Paganism, we have the facts that the Gospels were not 
written by the persons whose names they bear, that they were 
written many years after the time these men are said to have lived, 
and that they are full of interpolations and errors. The first that 


1 That is, the Tri-murti Brahma, Vishnu and 
Siva, for he tells us that the three gods, Indra, 
Agni, and Surya, constitute the Vedic chief 
triad of Gods. (Hinduism, p. 24.) Agam he 
tells us that the idea of a Tri-murti was first 
dimly shadowed fortli in the Rig-Veda. where 
a triad of principal gods—Agni, Indra and 
Surya—is recognized. tlbid. p. 88.) The wor¬ 


ship of the three members of the Tri-murti, 
Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, is to be found in the 
period of the epic poems, from 500 to 300 
b. n. (Ibid. pp. 109, 110, 115.) 

3 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 25. 

3 Monumental Christianity, p. 390. 

4 See Mexican Antiquities, voi. vi, 

5 See Appendix A. 





THE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN RELIGIONS. 


455 


we know of the four gospels is at the time of Irenseus, who, in the 
second century, intimates that he had received four gospels, as au¬ 
thentic scriptures. This pious forger was probably the author of 
the fourth , as we shall presently see. 

Besides these gospels there were many more which were subse¬ 
quently deemed apocryphal; the narratives related in them of Christ 
Jesus and his apostles were stamped as forgeries. 

“ The Gospel according to Matthew ” is believed by the ma¬ 
jority of biblical scholars of the present day to be the oldest of the 
four, and to be made up principally of a pre-existing one, called 
u The Gospel of the Hebrews.” The principal difference in these 
two gospels being that “ The Gospel of the Hebrews ” commenced 
with giving the genealogy of Jesus from David, through Joseph 
“ according to the fleshy The story of Jesus being born of a vir¬ 
gin was not to be found there , it being an afterpiece, originating 
either with the writer of “ The Gospel according to Matthew ,” or 
some one after him, and was evidently taken from “ The Gospel of 
the Egyptians.” “ The Gospel of the Hebrews ” —from which, we 
have said, the Matthew narrator copied — was an intensely Jewish 
gospel , and was to be found—in one of its forms — among the 
Ebonites , who were the narrowest Jewish Christians of the second 
century. “The Gospel according to Matthew ” is, therefore, the 
most Jewish gospel of the four; in fact, the most Jewish book in 
the New Testament, excepting, perhaps, the Apocalypse and the 
Epistle of James. 

Some of the more conspicuous Jewish traits, to be found in this 
gospel, are as follows : 

Jesus is sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The 
twelve are forbidden to go among the Gentiles or the Samaritans. 
They are to sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of 
Israel. The genealogy of Jesus is traced back to Abraham , and 
there stops. 1 The works of the law are frequently insisted on. 
There is a superstitious regard for the Sabbath , &c. 

There is no evidence of the existence of the Gospel of Matthew", 
— in its present form — until the year 173, a. d. It is at this time, 
also, that it is first ascribed to Matthew", by Apollinaris, Bishop of 
Hierapolis. The various editions of the Gospel of the Hebrews, 
however,—which were made use of by the author of our present 


1 The genealogy which traces him back to this Gospel he is not only a Messiah sent to 

Adam (Luke iii.) makes his religion not only tue Jews, but to all nations, sons of Adam, 

a Jewish, but a Gentile one. According to 




456 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


• Gospel of Matthew, — were written, likely enough, not long before 
the destruction of Jerusalem. 1 

“ The Gospel according to Luke ” is believed to come next — in 
chronological order — to that of Matthew, and to have been written 
some fifteen or twenty years after it. The author was a foreigner, 
as his writings plainly show that he was far removed from the 
events which he records. 

In writing his Gospel, the author made use of that of Matthew, 
the Gospel of the Hebrews, and Marcion’s Gospel. lie must have 
had, also, still other sources, as there are parables peculiar to it, 
which are not found in them. Among these may be mentioned 
that of the “ Prodigal Son” and the “ Good Samaritan .” Other 
parables peculiar to it are that of the two debtors; the friend bor¬ 
rowing bread at night; the rich man’s barns ; Dives and Lazarus ; 
the lost piece of silver; the unjust steward ; the Pharisee and the 
Publican. 

Several miracles are also peculiar to the Luke narrator’s Gospel,' 
the raising of the widow of Nain’s son being the most remarkable. 
Perhaps these stories .were delivered to him orally , and perhaps he is 
the author of them , — we shall never know. The foundation of the 
legends, however, undoubtedly came from the “ certain scriptures ” 
of the Essenes in Egypt. The principal object which the writer of 
this gospel had in view was to reconcile Paulinism and the more 
Jewish forms of Christianity. 2 

The next in chronological order, according to the same school 
of critics, is “The Gospel according to Mark.” This gospel is 
supposed to have been written within ten years of the former, and 
its author, as of the other two gospels, is unknown. It was 
probably written at Borne , as the Latinisms of the author’s style, 
and the apparent motive of his work, strongly suggest that he was 
a Jewish citizen of the Eternal City. He made use of the Gospel 
of Matthew as his principal authority, and probably referred to that 
of Luke, as he has things in common with Luke only. 

The object which the writer had in view, was to have a neutral 
go-between, a compromise between Matthew as too Petrine (Jew¬ 
ish), and Luke as too Pauline (Gentile). The different aspects of 
Matthew and Luke were found to be confusing to believers, and 
provocative of hostile criticism from without; hence the idea of 
writing a shorter gospel, that should combine the most essential 
elements of both. Luke was itself a compromise between the op- 


1 See The Bible of To-Day, under “ Matthew 


2 See Ibid, under “ Luke." 



THE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN PwELIGIONS. 


457 


posing Jewish and universal tendencies of early Christianity, but 
Mark endeavors by avoidance and omission to effect what Luke did 
more by addition and contrast. Luke proposed to himself to open 
a door for the admission of Pauline ideas without offending Gentile 
Christianity; Mark, on the contrary, in a negative spirit, to publish 
a Gospel which should not hurt the feelings of either party. Hence 
his avoidance of all those disputed questions which disturbed the 
church during the first quarter of the second century. The gene¬ 
alogy of Jesus is omitted; this being offensive to Gentile Christians, 
and even to some of the more liberal Judaizers. The supernatural 
birth of Jesus is omitted, this being offensive to the Ebonitish 
(extreme Jewish) and some of the Gnostic Christians. For every 
Judaizing feature that is sacrificed, a universal one is also sacrificed. 
Hard words against the Jews are left out, but vvith equal care, hard 
words about the Gentiles. 1 

- ■ "We now come to the fourth, and last gospel, that “ according 
to John” which was not written until many years after that “ac¬ 
cording to Matthew.” 

“ It is impossible to pass* from the Synoptic 2 Gospels,” says 
Canon Westcott, “to the fourth, without feeling that the transition 
involves the passage from one world of thought to another. Ho 
familiarity with the general teachings of the Gospels, no wide con¬ 
ception of the character of the Saviour, is sufficient to destroy the 
contrast which exists in form and spirit between the earlier and 
later narratives.” 

The discrepancies between the fourth and the Synoptic Gospels 
are numerous. If Jesus was the man of Matthew’s Gospel, he was 
not the mysterious being of the fourth. If his ministry was only 
one year long, it was not three. If he made but one journey to 
Jerusalem, he did not make ma7iy. If his method of teaching was 
that of the Synoptics, it was not that of the fourth Gospel. If he 
was the Jew of Matthew, he was not the Anti-Jew of John. 3 


1 See the Bible of To-Day, under “Mark.'' 

2 “Synoptics the Gospels which contain 
accounts of the same events—“ parallel pas¬ 

sages,” as they are called—which can be writ¬ 
ten side by side, so as to enable us to make a 
general view or synopsis of all the three, and at 
the same time compare them with each other. 
Bishop Marsh says : “ The most eminent crit¬ 
ics are at present decidedly of opinion that 
oue of the two suppositions must necessarily 
be adopted, either that the three Evangelists 
copied from each other, or that all the three 
drew from a common source, and that the 
notion of an absolute independence, in respect 


to the composition of the three first Gospels, 
is no longer tenable.” 

3 “ On opening the New Testament and 
comparing the impression produced by the 
Gospel of Matthew or Mark with that by the 
Gospel of John, the observant eye is at once 
struck with as salient a contrast as that already 
indicated on turning from the Macheth or 
Othello of Shakespeare to the Comusoi Milton 
or to Spenser's Faerie Queene." (Francis Tif¬ 
fany.) 

‘•To learn how far we may trust them (the 
Gospels) we must in the first place compare 
them with each other. The moment we do so 



458 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Everywhere in John we come upon a more developed stage of 
Christianity than in the Synoptics. The scene, the atmosphere, is 
different. In the Synoptics Judaism, the Temple, the Law and 
the Messianic Kingdom are omnipresent. In John they are remote 
and vague. In Matthew Jesus is always yearning for his own na¬ 
tion. In John he has no other sentiment for it than hate and scorn. 
In Matthew the sanction of the Prophets is his great credential. In 
John Ins dignity can tolerate no previous approximation. 

“ Do we ask,” says Francis Tiffany, “ who wrote this wondrous 
Gospel? Mysterious its origin, as that wind of which its author 
speaks, which bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound 
thereof and canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it <meth. As 

O 

with the Great Unknown of the book of Job, the Great Unknown 
of the later Isaiah, the ages keep his secret. The first absolutely 
indisputable evidence of the existence of the booh dates f rom the 
latter half of the second century 

The first that we know of the fourth Gospel, for certainty, is 
at the time of Irenaeus (a. d. 179). * 1 We look in vain for an ex¬ 
press recognition of the four canonical Gospels, or for a distinct 
mention of any one of them, in the writings of St. Clement (a. d. 
96), St. Ignatius (a. d. 107), St. Justin (a. d. 140), or St. Poly carp 
(a. d. 108). All we can find is incidents from the life of Jesus, 
sayings, etc. 

That Irenaeus is the author of it is very evident. This learned 
and pious forger says : 

“Jolm, the disciple of the Lord, wrote his Gospel to confute the doctrine 
lately taught by Cerintlius, and a great while before by those called Nicolaitans, 
a branch of the Gnostics ; and to show that there is one God who made all 
things by his WORD: and not, as they say, that there is one the Creator, and 
another the Father of our Lord : and one the Son of the Creator, and another, 
even the Christ, who descended from above upon the Son of the Creator, and 
continued impassible, and at length returned to his pleroma or fulness.”* 

The idea of God having inspired four different men to 
write a history of the same transactions —or rather, of many dif- 


we notice that the fourth stands quite alone, 
while the first three form a single group, not 
only following the same general course, but 
sometimes even showing a verbal agreement 
which cannot possibly be accidental.” (The 
Bible for Learners, vol.ii. p. 27.) 

1 “ Irenceus is the first person who mentions 
the four Gospels by name.” (Bunsen : Keys 
of St. Peter, p. 328.) 

“Irenceus, in the second century, is the first 
of the fathers who, though he has nowhere given, 
us a professed catalogue of the books of the New 


Testament, intimates that he had received four 
Gospels, as authentic Scriptures, the authors of 
which he describes.” (Rev. R. Taylor : Syn¬ 
tagma, p. 109.) 

“ The authorship of the fourth Gospel has 
been the subject of much learned and anxious 
controversy among theologians. The earliest , 
and only very important external testimony we 
have is that of IkenjEus (a.d. 179.)” (W. It. 

Grey : The Creed of Christendom, p. 159.) 

9 Quoted by Dr. Lardner in his Works, vol. 
viii. p. 405. 





THE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN RELIGIONS. 


459 


ferent men having undertaken to write such a history, of whom God 
inspired four only to write correctly, leaving the others to their 
own unaided resources, and giving us no test by which to distin¬ 
guish the inspired from the uninspired—certainly appears self-con - 
futing, and anything but natural. 

The reasons assigned by Irenseus for their being four Gospels 
are as follows: 

“ It is impossible that there could be more or less than four. For there are 
four climates, and four cardinal winds ; but the Gospel is the pillar and founda¬ 
tion of the church, and its breath of life. The church therefore was to have Jour 
pillars, blowing immortality from every quarter, and giving life to man.” 1 

It was by this Iren sens, with the assistance of Clement of Alex¬ 
andria, and Tertullian, one of the Latin Fathers, that the four Gos¬ 
pels were introduced into general use among the Christians. 

In these four spurious Gospels, and in some which are consid¬ 
ered Apocryphal —because the bishops at the Council of Laodicea 
(a. d. 365) rejected them — we have the only history of Jesus of 
Nazareth. Now, if all accounts or narratives of Christ Jesus and 
his Apostles were forgeries, as it is admitted that all the Apocryphal 
ones were, what can the superior character of the received Gospels 
prove for them, but that they are merely superiorly executed for¬ 
geries ? The existence of Jesus is implied in the New Testament 
outside of the Gospels, but hardly an incident of his life is men- 
. tioned , hardly a sentence that he spoke has been preserved. Paul, 
writing from twenty to thirty years after his death, has but a 
' single reference to anything he ever said or did. 

Beside these four Gospels there were, as we said above, many 
others, for, in the words of Mosheim, the ecclesiastical historian : 

“ Not long after Christ’s ascension into/ heaven, several histories of his life 
and doctrines, full of pious frauds and fabulous wonders, were composed by per¬ 
sons whose intentions, perhaps, were not bad, but whose writings discovered the 
greatest Superstition and ignorance. Nor was this all ; productions appeared, 
which were imposed upon the world by fraudulent men, as the writings of the holy 
apostles.”' 2 

Dr. Conyers Middleton, speaking on this subject, says: 

“There never was any period of time in all ecclesiastical history, in which 
so many rank heresies were publicly professed, nor in which so many spurious 
books were forged and published by the Christians, under the names of Christ, 
and the Apostles, and the Apostolic writers, as in those primitive ages. Several 
of these forged books are frequently cited and applied to the defense of Christianity, 
by the most eminent fathers of the same ages, as true and genuine pieces. ” 3 


1 Quoted by Dr. Conyers Middleton : His E. Taylor : Syntagma, p. 50. 

Works, vol. i. p. 44. 3 Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. 59. 

2 Mosheim : vol. i. p. 109. Quoted by Eev. 



400 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Archbishop Wake also admits that: 

a. 

“ It would be useless to insist on all the spurious pieces which were attribu¬ 
ted to St. Paul alone, in the primitive ages of Christianity.” 1 2 

Some of the “spurious pieces which were attributed to St. 
Paul,” may be found to day in our canonical hfew Testament, and 
are believed by many to be the word of God.* 

The learned Bishop Faustus, in speaking of the authenticity of 
the New Testament , says : 

“It is certain that the New Testament was not written by Christ himself, 
nor by his apostles, but a long while after them, by some unknown persons, who, 
lest they should not be credited when they wrote of affairs they were little ac¬ 
quainted with, affixed to their works the names of the apostles, or of such as 
were supposed to have been their companions, asserting that what they had writ¬ 
ten themselves, was written according to these persons to whom they ascribed 
it.” 3 

Again lie says : 

“Many things have been inserted by our ancestors in the speeches of our 
Lord, which, though put forth under his name, agree not with his faith ; es¬ 
pecially since— as already it has been often proved —these things were not writ¬ 
ten by Christ, nor his apostles, but a long while after their assumption, by I 
know not what sort of half Jews, not even agreeing with themselves, who made 
up their tale out of reports and opinions merely, and yet, fathering the whole 
upon the names of the apostles of the Lord, or on those who were supposed to 
follow the apostles, they mendaciously pretended that they had written their 
lies and conceits according to them.” 4 

Wlmt liad been said to have been done in India , was said by 
these “ lialf-Jews” to have been done in Palestine : the change of 
names and places, with the mixing up of various sketches of the 
Egyptian, Persian, Phenician, Greek and Roman mythology, was 
all that was necessary. They had an abundance of material, and 
with it they built. The foundation upon which they built was 
undoubtedly the “ Scriptures ,” or Diegesis, of the Essenes in 
Alexandria in Egypt, which fact led Eusebius, the ecclesiastical 
historian—“without whom,” says Tillemont, “we should scarce 
have had any knowledge of the history of the first ages of Chris¬ 
tianity, or of the authors who wrote in that time ”—to say that the 
sacred writings used by this sect were none other than “ Our 
Gospels I 


1 Quoted in Ibid. 

2 See Chadwick’s Bible of To-Day, pp. 191, 
192. 

3 “Nec ab ipso scriplnm constat, nec ab 
ejus apostolis sed longo post tempore a qui- 

busdam incerti nominis viris, qui ne sibi non 
haberetur tides scribentibus quae nescirent, 


partim apostolorum, partim eorum qui apos- 
tolos secuti viderentur nomina scriptorum 
suorum frontibus indiderunt, asseverantes se¬ 
cundum eos, se scripsisse quae scripserunt.” 
(Faust, lib. 2. Quoted by Rev. R. Taylor: 
Diegesis, p. 114.) 

4 “ Multa enim a majoribus vestris, eloquiis 




TIIE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN RELIGIONS. 


401 


e oiler below a few of the many proofs showing the Gospels 
to have been written a long time after the events narrated are said 
to have occurred, and by persons unacquainted with the country of 
which they wrote. 

“lie (Jesus) came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of 
the coasts of Decapolis,” is an assertion made by the Mark narrator 
(vii. 31), when there were no coasts of Decapolis, nor was the name 
so much as known before the reign of the emperor Nero. 

Again, “He (Jesus) departed from Galilee, and came into the 
coasts of Judea, beyond Jordan,” is an assertion made by the Mat¬ 
thew narrator (xix. 1), when the Jordan itself was the eastern 
boundary of Judea, and there were no coasts of Judea beyond it. 

Again, “But when he (Joseph) heard that Arclielaus did reign 
in Judea, in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go 
thither, notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned 
aside into the parts of Galilee, and he came and dwelt in a city 
called Nazareth ; that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by 
the prophets, he shall be called a Nazarene,” is another assertion 
made by the Matthew narrator (ii. 22, 23), when—1. It was a son 
of Herod who reigned in Galilee as well as Judea, so that he could 
not be more secure in one province than in the other; and when 
—2. It was impossible for him to have gone from Egypt to Naz¬ 
areth, without traveling through the whole extent of Archelaus’s 
kingdom, or making a peregrination through the deserts on the 
north and east of the Lake Asphaltites, and the country of Moab; 
and then, either crossing the Jordan into Samaria or the Lake of 
Gennesareth into Galilee, and from thence going to the city of 
Nazareth, which is no better geography, than if one should describe 
a person as turning aside from Cheapside into the parts of York- . 
shire ; and when—3. There were no prophets whatever who had 
prophesied that Jesus “ should be called a NazareneP 

The Matthew narrator (iv. 13) states that “'He departed into 
Galilee, and leaving Nazareth, came and dwelt in Capernaum,” as 
if he imagined that the city of Nazareth was not as properly in 
Galilee as Capernaum w r as; which is much such geographical accu¬ 
racy, as if one should relate the travels of a hero, who departed into 
Middlesex, and leaving London, came an*d dwelt in Lombard street. 1 


Domini nostri inserta verba snnt; quae nomine 
signata ipsius, cum ejus fide non congruant, 
praesertim, quia, ut jam srepe probatum a 
nobis est, nec ab ipso haec. sunt, nec ab ejus 
apostolis scripta, sed multo post eorum assump- 
tionem, a nescio quibus, et ipsis inter se non 
concordantibus semi-Jud.<eis, per famas opin- 


ionesque comperta sunt; qui tamen omnia 
eadem in apostolorum Domini conferentes 
nomina vel eorum qui secuti npostolos 
viderentur, errores ac mendacia sua secundum 
eos se scripsisse mentiti sunt.” (Faust.: 
lib. 33. Quoted in Ibid. p. GG.) 

1 Taylor’s Diegesis. 



462 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


There are many other falsehoods in gospel geography beside 
these, which, it is needless to mention, plainly show that the 
writers were not the persons they are generally supposed to be. 

Of gospel statistics there are many falsehoods; among them may 
be mentioned the following: 

“ Annas and Caiaplias being the high priests, the word of God 
came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness,” is an as¬ 
sertion made by the Luke narrator (Luke iii. 2); when all Jews, or 
persons living among them, must have known that there never 
was but one high priest at a time, as with ourselves there is but one 
mayor of a city. 

Again we read (John vii. 52), “ Search (the Scriptures) and look, 
for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet,” when the most distinguished 
of the Jewish prophets—Nalmm and Jonah—were both Galileans. 

See reference in the Epistles to “ Saints ,” a religious order, 
owing its origin to the popes. Also, references to the distinct 
orders of “ Bishops ,” “ Priests ,” and “ Deacons ,” and calls to a 
monastic life; to fasting, etc., wdien, the titles of “ Bishop,” 
“ Priest,” and “ Deacon ” were given to the Essenes—whom Euse¬ 
bius calls Christians—and, as is well known, monasteries were the 
abode of the Essenes or Therapeuts. 

See the words for “ legion ,” “ aprons ,” “ handkerchiefs ,” “ cen¬ 
turion S etc., in the original, not being Greek, but Latin, written 
in Greek characters, a practice first to be found in the historian 
Ilerodian, in the third century. 

In Matt. xvi. 18, and Matt, xviii. IT, the word “ Church ” is 
used, and its papistical and infallible authority referred to as then 
existing, which is known not to have existed till ages after. And 
the passage in Matt, xi. 12:—“ From the days of John the Baptist 
until now , the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,” etc., could 
not have been written till a very late period. 

Luke ii. 1, shows that the writer (whoever he may have been) 
lived long after the events related. His dates, about the fifteenth 
year of Tiberius, and the government of Cyrenius (the only indi¬ 
cations of time in the New Testament), are manifestly false. The 
general ignorance of the four Evangelists, not merely of the geog¬ 
raphy and statistics of Judea, but even of its language,—their 
egregious blunders, which no writers who had lived in that age 
could be conceived of as making,—prove that they were not only 
no such persons as those who have been willing to be deceived have 
taken them to be, but that they were not Jews, had never been in 
Palestine, and neither lived at, or at anywhere near the times to 


THE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN RELIGIONS. 


463 


which tlieir narratives seem to refer. The ablest divines at the 
present day, of all denominations, have yielded as much as this. 1 

The Scriptures were in the hands of the clergy only, and they 
had every opportunity to insert whatsoever they pleased ; thus we 
find them full of interpolations. Johann Solomo Sender, one of 
the most influential theologians of the eighteenth century, speaking 
of this, says: 

“The Christian doctors never brought their sacred books before the common 
people ; although people in general have been wont to think otherwise ; during 
the first ages, they were in the hands of the clergy only.” 2 

Concerning the time when the canon of the New Testament 
was settled, Mosheim says: 

“ The opinions, or rather the conjectures, of the learned concerning the time 
when the books of the New Testament were collected into one volume ; as also 
about the authors of that collection, are extremely different. This important 
question is attended with great and almost insuperable difficulties to us in these 
later times.” 3 

The Rev. F. B. Westcott says: 

“ It is impossible to point to any period as marking the date at which our 
present canon was determined. When it first appears, it is presented not as a 
novelty, but as an ancient tradition.” 4 

Dr. Lardner says: 

“Even so late as the middle of the sixth century, the canon of the New Tes¬ 
tament had not been settled by any authority that was decisive and universally 


1 Says Prof. Smith upon this point: “ All 
the earliest external evidence points to the con¬ 
clusion that the synoptic gospels are non-apos- 
tolic digests of spoken and written apostolic 
tradition, and that the arrangement of the 
earlier material in orderly form took place only 
gradually and by many essays.” 

]jr. Hooykaas, speaking of the four “Gos¬ 
pels,” and “Acts,” says of them : “Notone 
of these five books was really written by the 
person whose name it bears, and they are all 
of more recent date than the heading would 
lead us to suppose.” 

“We cannot say that the “Gospels” and 
book of “ Acts ” are unauthentic, for not one 
of them professes to give the name of its au¬ 
thor. They appeared anonymously. The titles 
placed above them in our Bibles owe their 
origin to a later ecclesiastical tradition which 
deserves no confidence whatever.” (Bible for 
Learners, vol. iii. pp. 24, 25.) 

These Gospels “ can hardly be said to have 
had authors at all. They had only editors or 
compilers. What I mean is, that those who 
enriched the old Christian literature with these 
Gospels did not go to work as independent 
writers and compose their own narratives out 


of the accounts they had collected, but simply 
took up the different stories or sets of stories 
which they found current in the oral tradition 
or already reduced to writing, adding here and 
expanding there , and so sent out into the w'orlda 
very artless kind of composition. These works 
were then, from time to time, somewhat en¬ 
riched by introductory matter or interpolations 
from the hands of later Christians, and perhaps 
were modified a little here and there. Our first 
two Gospels appear to have passed through 
more than one such revision. The third, w'hose 
writer says in his preface, that ‘many had 
undertaken to put together a narrative(Gospel), 1 
before him, appears to proceed from a single 
collecting, arranging, and modifying hand.” 
(Ibid. p. 29.) 

2 “ Christiani doctores non in vulgils prode- 
banl libros sacros, licet soleant plerique aliter 
opinari, crant tantum in manibus clericorum, 
priora per sjecula.” (Quoted in Taylor’s Die- 
gesis, p. 48.) 

3 Mosheim : vol. i. pt. 2, ch. ii. Quoted in 
Taylor's Diegesis. 

4 General Survey of the Canon, p. 537. 
Quoted by Lundy, p. 29. 





404 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


acknowledged, but Christian people were at liberty to judge for themselves con¬ 
cerning the genuineness of writings proposed to them as apostolical, and to de¬ 
termine according to evidence.” 1 

And Bishop Marsh says: 

“No manuscript of the New Testament now extant is prior to the sixth cen¬ 
tury, and, what is to be lamented, various readings which, as appears from the 
quotations of the Fathers, were in the text of the Greek Testament, are to be 
found in none of the manuscripts which are at present remaining.” 2 

Again he says : 

“It is a certain fact, that several readings in our common printed text are 
nothing more than alterations made by Origen, whose authority was so great in 
the Christian Church (a. d. 230) that emendations which he proposed, though, 
as he himself acknowledged, they were supported by the evidence of 1*0 manu¬ 
script, were very generally received.” 3 

In his Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius gives us a list of what 
boohs at that time (a. d. 315) were considered canonical. They are 
as follows: 

“ The four-fold writings of the Evangelists,” “ The Acts of the Apostles,” 
“ The Epistles of Peter,” “ after these thej first of John, and that of Peter,” “ All 
these are received for undoubted .” “ The Revelation of St. John, some disavow. ” 

“The books which are gainsaid, though well known unto many, are these : 
the Epistle of James, the Epistle of Jude, the latter of Peter, the second and 
third of John, whether they were John the Evangelist , or some other of the same 
name.”* 

Though Irenseus, in the second century, is the first who men¬ 
tions the evangelists, and Origen, in the third century, is the first 
who gives us a catalogue of the books contained in the Mew Tes¬ 
tament, Mosheim’s admission still stands before us. We have no 
grounds of assurance that the mere mention of the names of the 
evangelists by Irenoeus, or the arbitrary drawing up of a particular 
catalogue by Origen, were of any authority. It is still unknown 
by whom, or where, or when, the canon of the Hew Testament was 
settled. But in this absence of positive evidence we have abun¬ 
dance of negative proof. We know when it was not settled. We 
know it was not settled in the time of the Emperor Justinian, nor 
in the time of Cassiodorus; that is, not at any time before the 
middle of the sixth century, “ by any authority that was decisive 
and universally acknowledged ; but Christian people were at liberty 
to judge for themselves concerning the genuineness of writings 
proposed to them as apostolical.” 


1 Credibility of the Gospels. 3 ibid. 

2 Marsh’s Michadis, vol. ii. p. 1G0. Quoted “ Eusebius : Ecclesiastical Hist., lib. 3, ch. 

in Dicgcs:s, p. 25G. xxii. 


I 






THE ANTIQUITY OF PAGAN RELIGIONS. 


465 


We cannot do better than close this chapter with the words of 
Prof. Max Muller, who, in speaking of Buddhism, says : 

“Wo have in the history of Buddhism an excellent opportunity for watching 
the process by which a canon of sacred books is called into existence. We see 
here, as elsewhere, that during the life-time of the teacher, no record of events, 
no sacred code containing the sayings of the Master, was wanted. His presence 
was enough, and thoughts of the future, and more particularly, of future great¬ 
ness, seldom entered the minds of those who followed him. It was only 
after Buddha had left the world to enter into Nirvana, that his disciples at¬ 
tempted to recall the sayings and doings of their departed friend and master. 
At that time, everything that seemed to redound to the glory of Buddha, how¬ 
ever extraordinary and incredible, was eagerly welcomed, while witnesses who 
would have ventured to criticise or reject unsupported statements, or to detract 
in any way from the holy character of Buddha, had no chance of ever being 
listened to. And when, in spite of all this, differences of opinion arose, they 
were not brought to the test by a careful weighing of evidence, but the names of 
‘ unbeliever ’ and ‘heretic ’ were quickly invented in India as elsewhere, and ban¬ 
died backwards and forwards between contending parties, till at last, when the 
doctors disagreed, the help of the secular power had to be invoked, and kings 
and emperors assembled councils for the suppression of schism, for the settle¬ 
ment of an orthodox creed, and for the completion of a sacred canon” 1 

That which Prof. Muller describes as taking place in the relig¬ 
ion of Christ Buddha, is exactly what took place in the religion of 
Christ Jesus. That the miraculous, and many of the noil-miracu¬ 
lous, events related in the Gospels never happened, is demonstrable 
from the facts which we have seen in this work, that nearly all of 
these events, had been previously related of the gods and goddesses 
of heathen nations of antiquity, more especially of the Hindoo 
Saviour Cristina, and the Buddhist Saviour Buddha , whose 
religion, with less alterations than time and translations have made 
in the Jewish Scriptures, may be traced in nearly every dogma and 
every ceremony of the evangelical mythology. 


1 The Science of Religion, pp. 30, 31. 




CHAPTER XXXIX. 


EXPLANATION. 


After what we have seen concerning the numerous virgin- 
born, crucified and resurrected Saviours, believed on in the Pagan 
world for so many centuries before the time assigned for the birth 
of the Christian Saviour, the questions naturally arise : were they 
real personages ? did they ever exist in the flesh ? whence came 
these stories concerning them ? have they a foundation in truth, or 
are they simply creations of the imagination ? 

The historical theory—according to which all the persons men¬ 
tioned in mythology were once real human beings, and the legends 
and fabulous traditions relating to them were merely the additions 
and embellishments of later times—which was so popular with 
scholars of the last century, has been altogether abandoned. 

Under the historical point of view the gods are mere deified 
mortals, either heroes who have been deified after their death, or 
Pontiff-chieftains who have passed themselves off for gods, and 
who, it is gratuitously supposed, found people stupid enough to 
believe in their pretended divinity. This was the manner in which, 
formerly, writers explained the mythology of nations of antiquity ; 
but a method that pre-supposed an historical Crishna, an historical 
Osiris, an historical Mithra, an historical Hercules, an historical 
Apollo, or an historical Thor, was found untenable, and therefore, 
does not, at the present day, stand in need of a refutation. As a 
writer of the early part of the present century said : 

“We shall never have an ancient history worthy of the perusal of men of 
common sense, till we cease treating poems as history, and send back such per¬ 
sonages as Hercules, Theseus, Bacchus, etc., to the heavens, whence their history 
is taken, and whence they never descended to the earth.” 

The historical theory was succeeded by the allegorical thory, 
which supposes that all the myths of the ancients were allegorical 
and symbolical , and contain some moral, religious, or philosophical 
[4G6J 


EXPLANATION". 


467 


truth or historical fact under the form of an allegory, which came 
in process of time to be understood literally. 

In the preceding pages we have spoken of the several virgin- 
born, crucified and resurrected Saviours, as real personages. We 
have attributed to these individuals words and acts, and have re¬ 
garded the words and acts recorded in the several sacred books 
from which we have quoted, as said and done by them. But in 
doing this, we have simply used the language of others. These 
gods and heroes were not real personages; they are merely per¬ 
sonifications of the Sun. As Prof. Max Muller observes in his 
Lectures on the Science of Religion : 

“ One of the earliest objects that would strike and stir the mind of man, and 
for which a sign or a name would soon be wanted, is surely the Sun. 1 It is very 
hard for us to realize the feelings with which the first dwellers on the earth 
looked upon the Sun, or to understand fully what they meant by a morning 
prayer or a morning sacrifice. Perhaps there are few people who have watched 
a sunrise more than once or twice in their life ; few people who have ever 
known the meaning of a morning prayer, or a morning sacrifice. But think of 
man at the very dawn of time. . . . think of the Sun awakening the eyes of 
man from sleep, and his mind from slumber ! Was not the sunrise to him the 
first wonder, the first beginning of all reflection, all thought, all philosophy ? 
Was it not to him the first revelation, the first beginning of all trust, of all re¬ 
ligion? .... 

“ Few nations only have preserved in their ancient poetry some remnants of 
the natural awe with which the earlier dwellers on the earth saw that brilliant 
being slowly rising from out of the darkness of the night, raising itself by its 
own might higher and higher, till it stood triumphant on the arch of heaven, 
and then descended and sank down in its fiery glory into the dark abyss of the 
heaving and hissing sea. In the hymns of the Veda, the poet still wonders 
whether the Sun will rise again ; he asks how he can climb the vault of heaven ? 
why he does not fall back ? why there is no dust on his path ? And when the 
rays of the morning rouse him from sleep and call him back to new life, when 
he sees the Sun, as he says, stretching out his golden arms to bless the world and 
rescue it from the terror of darkness, he exclaims, ‘Arise, our life, our spirit 
has come back ! the darkness is gone, the light approaches.” 

Many years ago, the learned Sir William Jones said: 

“ We must not be surprised at finding, on a close examination, that the char¬ 
acters of all the Pagan deities, male and female, melt into each other, and at 
last into one or two ; for it seems as well founded opinion, that the whole crowd 
of gods and goddesses of ancient Rome, and modern Varanes, mean only the 
powers of nature, and principally those of the SUN, expressed in a variety of 
ways, and by a multitude of fanciful names.” 2 


i “In the Vedas, the Sun has twenty dif¬ 
ferent names, not puTC equivalents, but each 
term descriptive of the Sun in one of its as¬ 
pects. It is brilliant (Surya),the friend (Mitral, 
•-onerous (Aryaman), beneficent (Bhaga). that 


which nourishes (Pfishna), the Creator (Tvash- 
tar), the master of the sky (Divaspati), and so 
on.” (Rev. S. Baring-Gould: Orig. Relig. 
Belief, vol. i. p. 150.) 

2 Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 267* 



4G8 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Since the first learned president of the Royal Asiatic Society 
paved the way for the science of comparative mythology , much has 
been learned on this subject, so that, as the Rev. George W. Cox 
remarks, ‘‘recent discussions on the subject seem to justify the con¬ 
viction that the foundations of the science of comparative mythology 
have been firmly laid, and that its method is unassailable.” 1 

If we wish to find the gods and goddesses of the ancestors of 
our race, we must look to the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, the 
earth, the sea, the dawn, the clouds, the wind, &c., which they per¬ 
sonified and worshiped. That these have been the gods and god¬ 
desses of all nations of antiquity, is an established fact. 2 

The words which had denoted the sun and moon would denote 
not merely living things but living persons. From personification 
to deification the steps would be but few; and the process of disin¬ 
tegration would at once furnish the materials for a vast fabric of 
mythology. All the expressions which had attached a living force 
to natural objects would remain as the description of personal and 
anthropomorphous gods. Every word would become an attribute, 
and all ideas, once grouped around a simple object, would branch off 
into distinct personifications. The sun had been the lord of light, 
the driver of the chariot of the day; he had toiled and labored for 
the sons of men, and sunk down to rest, after a hard battle, in the 
evening. But now the lord of light would be Plioibos Apollon, 
while Helios would remain enthroned in his fiery chariot, and his 
toils and labors and death-struggles would be transferred to Her¬ 
cules. The violet clouds which greet his rising and his setting would 
now be represented by herds of cows which feed in earthly pastures. 
There would be other expressions which would still remain as float¬ 
ing phrases, not attached to any definite deities. These would grad¬ 
ually be converted into incidents in the life of heroes, and be woven 
at length into systematic narratives. Finally, these gods or heroes, 
and the incidents of their mythical career, would receive each “a 
local habitation and a name.” These would remain as genuine 
history , when the origin and meaning of the words had been either 
udiolly or in part forgotten. 

For the proofs of these assertions, the Yedic poems furnish 
indisputable evidence, that such as this was the origin and growth 
of Greek and Teutonic mythology. In these poems, the names of 
many, perhaps of most, of the Greek gods, indicate natural objects 
which, if endued with life, have not been reduced to human per- 


1 Preface to “ Tales of Anct. Greece.” 


2 See Appendix B. 





EXPLANATION. 


469 


sonality. In them Dapline is still simply the morning twilight 
ushering in the splendor of the new born sun ; the cattle of Helios 
there are still the light-colored clouds which the dawn leads out into 
the fields of the sky. There the idea of Hercules has not been 
separated from the image of the toiling and struggling sun, and the 
glory of the life-giving Helios has not been transferred to the god 
of Delos and Pytlio. In the Yedas the myths of Endymion, of 
Kephalos and Prokris, Orpheus and Eurydike, are sxhibited in the 
form of detached mythical phrases, which furnished for each their 
germ. The analysis may be extended indefinitely: but the conclu¬ 
sion can only be, that in the Yedic language we have the foundation, 
not only of the glowing legends of Hellas, but of the dark and 
sombre mythology of the Scandinavian and the Teuton. Both alike 
have grown up chiefly from names which have been grouped around 
the sun; but the former has been grounded on those expressions 
which describe the recurrence of day and night, the latter on the 
great tragedy of nature, in the alternation of summer and winter. 

Of this vast mass of solar myths, some have emerged into inde¬ 
pendent legends, others have furnished the groundwork of whole 
epics, others have remained simply as floating tales whose intrinsic 
beauty no poet has wedded to his verse. 1 

“ The results obtained from the examination of language in its 
several forms leaves no room for doubt that the general system of 
mythology has been traced to its fountain head. We can no longer 
shut our eyes to the fact that there was a stage in the history of 
human speech, during which all the abstract words in constant use 
among ourselves were utterly unknown, when men had formed no 
notions of virtue or prudence, of thought and intellect, of slavery 
or freedom, but spoke only of the man who was strong, who could 
point the way to others and choose one thing out of many, of the 
man who was not bound to any other and able to do as he pleased. 

“ That even this 6tage was not the earliest in the history of lan¬ 
guage is now a growing opinion among philologists; but for the 
comparison of legends current in different countries it is not neces¬ 
sary to carry the search further back. Language without words 
denoting abstract qualities implies a condition of thought in which 
men were only awakening to a sense of the objects which sur¬ 
rounded them, and points to a time when the world was to them 
full of strange sights and sounds, some beautiful, some bewildering, 
some terrific, when, in short, they knew little of themselves beyond 


1 Aryan Mytho., vol ii. pp. 51-53. 




470 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


the vague consciousness of their existence, and nothing of the phe¬ 
nomena of the world without. In such a state they could bat 
attribute to all that they saw or touched or heard . a life which was 
like their own in its consciousness , its joys , and its sufferings. 
That power of sympathizing with nature which we are apt to regard 
as the peculiar gift of the poet was then shared alike by all. This 
sympathy was not the result of any effort, it was inseparably bound 
up with the words which rose to their lips. It implied no special 
purity of heart or mind; it pointed to no Arcadian paradise where 
shepherds knew not how to wrong or oppress or torment each other. 
We say that the morning light rests on the mountains ; they said 
that the sun was greeting his bride, as naturally as our own poet 
would speak of the sunlight clasping the earth, or the moonbeams 
as kissing the sea. 

“ We have then before us a stage of language corresponding to a 
stage in the history of the human mind in which all sensible objects 
were regarded as instinct with a conscious life. The varying 
phases of that life were therefore described as truthfully as they 
described their own feelings or sufferings; and hence every phase 
became a picture. But so long as the conditions of their life re¬ 
mained unchanged, they knew perfectly what the picture meant, 
and ran no risk of confusing one with another. Thus they had but 
to describe the things which they saw, felt, or heard, in order to 
keep up an inexhaustible store of phrases faithfully describing the 
facts of the world from their point of view. This language was 
indeed the result of an observation not less keen than that by which 
the inductive philosopher extorts the secrets of the natural world. 
Nor was its range much narrower. Each object received its own 
measure of attention, and no one phenomenon was so treated as to 
leave no room for others in their turn. They could not fail to 
Bote the changes of days and years, of growth and decay, of calm 
and storm ; but the objects which so changed were to them living 
things , and the rising and setting of the sun y the return of win¬ 
ter and summer , became a drama in which the actors were their 
enemies or their friends. 

“ That this is a strict statement of facts in the history of the hu¬ 
man mind, philology alone would abundantly prove ; but not a few 
of these phrases have come down to us in their earliest form, and 
point to the long-buried stratum-of language of which they are the 
fragments. These relics exhibit in their germs the myths which 
afterwards became the legends of gods and heroes with human 


EXPLANATION. 


471 


forms , and furnished the groundwork of the epic poems, whether 
of the eastern or the western world. 

“ The mythical or mythmaking language of mankind had no par¬ 
tialities ; and if the career of the Sun occupies a large extent of 
the horizon, we cannot fairly simulate ignorance of the cause. Men 
so placed would not fail to put into words the thoughts or emotions 
roused in them by the varying phases of that mighty world on 
which we, not less than they, feel that our life depends, although 
we may know something more of its nature. 

“ Tlius grew up a multitude of expressions which described the 
sun 'as the child of the night, as the destroyer of the darkness, as. 
the lover of the dawn and the dew—of phrases which would go on 
to speak of him as killing the dew with his spears, and of forsaking 
the dawn as he rose in the heaven. The feeling that the fruits of 
the earth were called forth by his warmth would find utterance in 
words which spoke of him as the friend and the benefactor of man 
while the constant recurrence of his work would lead them to de¬ 
scribe him as a being constrained to toil for others, as doomed to 
travel over many lands, and as finding everywhere things on which 
he could bestow his love or which he might destroy by his power. 
His journey, again, might be across cloudless skies, or amid alterna¬ 
tions of storm and calm ; his light might break fitfully through 
the clouds, or be hidden for many a weary hour, to burst forth at 
last with dazzling splendor as he sank down in the western sky. lie 
would thus be described as facing many dangers and many enemies, 
none of whom, however, may arrest his course ; as sullen, or capri¬ 
cious, or resentful; as grieving for the loss of the dawn whom he 
had loved, or as nursing his great wrath and vowing a pitiless ven¬ 
geance. Then as the veil was rent at eventide, they would speak of 
the chief, who had long remained still, girding on his armor ; or of 
the wanderer throwing off his disguise, and seizing his bow or 
spear to smite his enemies; of the invincible warrior whose face 
gleams with the flush of victory when the fight is over, as he greets, 
the fair-haired Dawn who closes, as she had begun, the day. To the 
wealth of images thus lavished on the daily life and death of the 
Sun there would be no limit. He was the child of the morning, 
or her husband, or her destroyer; he forsook her and he returned 
to her, either in calm serenity or only to sink presently in deeper 
gloom. 

“ So with other sights and sounds. The darkness of night brought 
with it a feeling of vague horror and dread ; the return of daylight 
cheered them with a^sense of unspeakable gladness; and thus the 


472 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Sun who scattered the black shade of night would be the might}' 
champion doing battle with the biting snake which lurked in its 
dreary hiding-place. But as the Sun accomplishes his journey day 
by day through the heaven, the character of the seasons is changed. 
The buds and blossoms of spring-time expand in the flowers and 
fruits of summer, and the leaves fall and wither on the approach 
of winter. Thus the daughter of the earth would be spoken of as 
dying or as dead, as severed from her mother for five or six weary 
months, not to be restored to her again until the time for her re¬ 
turn from the dark land should once more arrive. But as no other 
power than that of the Sun can recall vegetation to life, this child 
of the earth would be represented as buried in a sleep from which 
the touch of the Sun alone could arouse her, when he slays the 
frost and cold which lie like snakes around her motionless form. 

“ That thesephrases would furnish the germs of myths or legends 
teeming with human feeling, as soon as the meaning of the phrases 
were in part or wholly forgotten , was as inevitable as that in the 
infancy of our race men should attribute to all sensible objects the. 
same hind of life which they were conscious of possessing them¬ 
selves 


Let us compare the history of the Saviour which we have al¬ 
ready seen, with that of the Sun , as it is found in the Vedas. 

We can follow in the Vedic hymns, step by step, the develop¬ 
ment which changes the Sun from a mere luminary into a u Cre¬ 
ator ,,” “ Preserver ,” “ Ruler” and “ Rewarder of the World ”—in 
fact, into a Divine or Supreme Reing. 

The first step leads us from the mere light of the Sun to that 
light which in the morning wakes man from sleep, and seems to 
give new life, not only to man, but to the whole of nature. He 
who wakes us in the morning, who recalls all nature to new life, is 
soon called “ The Giver of Daily Life.” 

Secondly, by another and bolder step, the Giver of Daily Light 
and Life becomes the giver of light and life in general. lie who 
brings light and life to-day, is the same who brought light and life 
on the first of days. As light is the beginning of the day, so light 
was the beginning of creation, and the Sun, from being a mere light- 
bringer or life-giver, becomes a Creator, and, if a Creator, then soon 
also a Ruler of the World. 

Thirdly, as driving away the dreaded darkness of the night, 
and likewise as fertilizing the earth, the Sun is conceived as a “ De¬ 
fender” and kind “Protector” of all living things. 

Fourthly, the Sun sees everything, both that "which is good and 


EXPLANATION. 


473 


that which is evil; and how natural therefore that the evil-doer should 
be told that the sun sees what no human eye may have seen, and 
that the innocent, when all other help fails him, should appeal to 
the sun to attest his guiltlessness! 

Let us examine now, says Prof. Milller, from whose work we 
have quoted the above, a few passages (from the Rig- Veda) illus¬ 
trating every one of these perfectly natural transitions. 

“ In hymn vii. we find the Sun invoked as * The Protector of everything that 
moves or stands . of alt that exists .’ ” 

“ Frequent allusion is made to the Sun’s power of seeing everything. The 
stars flee before the all-seeing Sun, like thieves (R. Y. vii.). He sees the right 
and the wrong among men (Ibid.). lie who looks upon the world, knows also 
all the thoughts in men (Ibid.).” 

“As the Sun sees everything and knows everything, he is asked to forget 
and forgive what he alone lias seen and knows (R. Y. iv.).” 

“ The Sun is asked to drive away illness and bad dreams (R. Y. x.).” 

“Having once, and more than once, been invoked as the life-bringer, the 
Sun is also called the breath or life of all that moves and rests (R. V. i.) ; and 
lastly, he becomes the maker of all things, by whom all the worlds have been 
brought together (R. V. x.), and . . . Lord of man and of all living creatures.” 

“ He is the God among gods (R. Y. i.) ; he is the divine leader of all the 
gods (It. V. viii.).” 

“ He alone rules the whole world (It. V. v.). “ The laws which he has estab¬ 
lished are firm (It. V. iv.), and the other gods not only praise him (It. Y. vii.), 
but have to follow him as their leader (It. V. v .).” 1 

That the history of Christ Jesus, the Christian Saviour,— “the 
true Light , which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” 2 3 

— is simply the history of the Sun — the real Saviour of mankind 

— is demonstrated beyond a doubt from the following indisputable 
facts : 

1. The birth of Christ Jesits is said to have taken place at early 
dawn 3 on the 25th day of December. Now, this is the SurCs birth¬ 
day . At the commencement of the sun's apparent annual revolu¬ 
tion round the earth, he was said to have been born, and, on the 
first moment after midnight of the 24th of December, all the 
heathen nations of the earth, as if by common consent, celebrated 
the accouchement of the “ Queen of Heaven” of the “ Celestial Vir¬ 
gin of the Sphere ,” and the birth of the god Sol. On that day the 
sun having fully entered the winter solstice, the Sign of the Virgin 
was rising on the eastern horizon. The woman’s symbol of this 
stellar sign was represented first by ears of corn, then with a new¬ 
born male child in her arms. Such was the picture of the Persian 
sphere cited by Aben-Ezra: 


1 Mtiller : Origin of Religions, pp. 264-268. 

2 John, i. 9. 

3 The Christian ceremonies of the Nativity 


are celebrated in Bethlehem and Rome, even 
at the present time, very early in the morn¬ 
ing. 




474 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“ The division of the first decan of the Virgin represents a beautiful virgin 
with flowing hair, sitting in a chair, with two ears of corn in her hand, and 
suckling an infant called Iesus by some nations, and Christ in Greek. 1 2 

This denotes the Sun r which, at the moment of the winter sol¬ 
stice, precisely when the Persian magi drew the horoscope of the 
new year, was placed on the bosom of the Virgin, rising heliacally 
in the eastern horizon. On this account he was figured in their 
astronomical pictures under the form of a child suckled by a chaste 
virgin. 3 

Thus we see that Christ Jesus was born on the same day as 
Buddha, Mithras, Osiris, Ilorus, Hercules, Bacchus, Adonis and 
other personifications of the Sun . 3 

2. Christ Jesus was born of a Virgin. In this respect lie is also 
the S'UM, for ’tis the sun alone who can be born of an immaculate 
virgin, who conceived him without carnal intercourse, and who is 
still, after the birth of her child, a virgin. 

This Virgin, of whom the Sun, the true “ Saviour of Mankind,” 
is born, is either the bright and beautiful Dawn , 4 * * or the dark Earth* 
or Night* Hence we have, as we have already seen, the Virgin , 
or Virgo , as one of the signs of the zodiac. 7 

This Celestial Virgin was feigned to be a mother. She is repre¬ 
sented in the Indian Zodiac of Sir William Jones, with ears of corn 
in one hand, and the lotus in the other. In Kirclier’s Zodiac of 
Hermes, she has corn in both hands. In other planispheres of the 
Egyptian priests she carries ears of corn in one hand, and the infant 
Saviour Ilorus in the other. In Homan Catholic countries, she is 


1 Quoted by Volney, Ruins, p. 163, and note. 

2 See ibid, and Dupuis : Origin of Religious 
Belief, p. 238. 

2 See Chap. XXXIV. 

4 The Dawn was personified by the ancients 
ns a virgin mother , who bore the Sun. (See 
Max Miiiler’s Chips, vol. ii. p. 137. Fiske’s 
Myths and Mythmakers, p. 156, and Cox : Tales 
of Ancient Greece, and Aryan Mytho.) 

8 In Sanscrit “ Ida ” is the Earth , the wife of 
Dyaus (the Sky), and so we have before us the 
mythical phrase, ” the Sun at its birth rests 
on the earth.” In other words, “ the Sun at 
birth is nursed in the lap of its mother.” 

° “ The moment we understand the nature 
of a myth, all impossibilities, contradictions 
and immoralities disappear. If a mythical 
personage be nothing more tnan a name of the 
Sun, his birth may be derived from ever so 
many different mothers. He may be the son of 
the Sky or of the Dawn or of the Sea or of the 
Night." (Renouf’s Hibbert Lectures, p. 108.) 

7 “ The sign of the Celestial Virgin rises 
above the horizon at the moment in which we 


fix the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Hig¬ 
gins : Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 314, and Bonvvick : 
Egyptian Belief, p. 147.) 

“ We have in the first decade the Sign of 
the Virgin, following the most ancient tradi¬ 
tion of the Persians, the Chaldeans, the Egyp¬ 
tians, nermes and iEsculapius, a young woman 
called in the Persian language, Seclinidos do 
Darzarna; in the Arabic, Aderenedesa— that 
is to say, a chaste, pure, immaculate virgin, 
suckling an infant, which some nations call 
Jesus (i. e., Saviour), but which we in Greek 
call Christ." (Abulmazer.) 

“ In the first decade of the Virgin, rises a 
maid, called in Arabic, ‘ Aderenedesa,’ that is : 
‘ pure immaculate virgin,’ graceful in person, 
charming in countenance, modest in habit, 
with loosened hair, holding in her hands two 
cars of wheat, sitting upon an embroidered 
throne, nursing a boy, and rightly feeding him 
in the place called Ilebraea. A boy, I say, 
names Iessus by certain nations, which signifies 
Issa, whom they also call Christ in Greek.” 
(Kircher, CEdipus HSgypticus.) 




EXPLANATION. 


475 


generally represented with the child in one hand, and the lotus or 
lily in the other. In Yol. II. of Montfaucon’s work, she is repre¬ 
sented as a female nursing a child, with ears of corn in her hand, and 
the legend iao. She is seated on clouds, a star is at her head. 
The reading of the Greek letters, from right to left, show this to 
be very ancient. 

In the Yedic hymns Aditi, the Daivn , is called the “ Mother of 
the Gods “ She is the mother with powerful, terrible, with royal 
sons?' She is said to have given birth to the Sun. 1 “ As the Sun 
and all the solar deities rise from the eastfi says Prof. Max Muller, 
“ we can well understand how Aditi (the Dawn) came to be called 
the ‘ Mother of the Bright Gods.’ ” 2 3 4 * 

The poets of the Yeda indulged freely in theogonic speculations 
without being frightened by any contradictions. They knew of 
Indra as the greatest of gods, they knew of Agni as the god of 
gods, they knew of Yaruna as the ruler of all; but they were by no 
means startled at the idea that their Indra had a mother, or that 
Yaruna was nursed in the lap of Aditi. All this was true to nature; 
for their god was the Sun , and the mother who bore and nursed him 
was the Dawn? 

We find in the Yishnu Pur ana , that Devaki (the virgin mother 
of the Hindoo Saviour Crishna, whose history, as we have seen, 
corresponds in most every particular with that of Christ efesus) is 
called Aditi? which, in the Pig - Veda , is the name for the Dawn. 
Thus we see the legend is complete. Devaki is Aditi, Aditi is the 
Dawn, and the Dawn is the Yirgin Mother. “ The Saviour of Man¬ 
kind ” who is born of her is the Sun, the Sun is Crishna, and 
Crishna is Christ. 

In the Mahabharata , Crishna is also represented as the “"Son of 
Aditi?'' 5 As the hour of his birth grew near, the mother became 
more beautiful, and her form more brilliant. 6 

Indra , the sun, who was worshiped in some parts of India as a 
Crucified God , is also represented in the Yedic hymns as the Son 
of the Dawn. He is said to have been born of Dahana, who is 
Daphne, a personification of the Dawn. 7 

The humanity of this solar god-man, this demiurge, is strongly 


1 Max Muller : Origin of Religions, p. 261. 

^ Ibid. p. 230. 

3 “ With scarcely an exception, all the names 
by which the Virgin goddess of the Akropolis 
was known point to this mythology of the 
Dawn." (Cox : Aryan Myths, vol. i. p. 228.) 

4 We also read in the Vishnu Purana that: 

“ The Sun of Achyuta (God, the Imperishable) 


rose in the dawn of Devaki, to cause the lotus 
petal of the universe ( Crishna ) to expand. On 
the day of his birth the quarters of the hori¬ 
zon were irradiate with joy,” &c. 

5 Cox : Aryan Myths, vol. iii. pp. 105, and 
130, vol. ii. 

6 Ibid. p. 133. See Legends in Chap. XVI. 

7 Fiske : Myths and Mythmakers, p. 113. 



476 


BIBLE MYTITS. 


insisted on in the Dig- Veda. lie is the son of God, but also the 
son of Aditi. lie is Purusha, the man, the male. Agni is fre¬ 
quently called the “ Son of man.” It is expressly explained that 
the titles Agni, Indra, Mitra, &c., all refer to one Sun-god under 
“ many names.” And when we find the name of a mortal, Yama, 
who once lived upon earth, included among these names, the hu¬ 
manity of the demiurge becomes still more accentuated, and we get 
at the root idea. 

Ilorus , the Egyptian Saviour, was the son of the virgin Isis. 
Now, this Isis, in Egyptian mythology, is the same as the virgin 
Devaki in Hindoo mythology. She is the Dawn. 1 Isis, as we 
have already seen, is represented suckling the infant Ilorus, and, 
in the words of Prof. Renouf, we may say, “ in whose lap can the 
Sun be nursed more fitly than in that of the Dawnf” 2 

Among the goddesses of Egypt, the highest was Neith, who 
reigned inseparably with Amun in the upper sphere. She was 
called “ Mother of the gods,” “ Mother of the sun.” She was the 
feminine origin of all things, as Amun was the male origin. She 
held the same rank at Sais as Amun did at Thebes. Her temples 
there are said to have exceeded in colossal grandeur anything ever 
seen before. On one of these was the celebrated inscription thus 
deciphered by Champollion : 

“ I am all that has been, all that is, all that will be. No mortal has ever 
raised the veil that conceals me. My offspring is the Sun.” 

She was mother of the Atm-god Da, and, says Prof. Renouf, “is 
commonly supposed to represent Heaven; but some expressions 
which are hardly applicable to heaven, render it more probable that 
she is one of the many names of the Dawn.” 3 4 5 

If we turn from Indian and Egyptian, to Grecian mythology, 
we shall also find that their Sun-gods and solar heroes are born of 
the same virgin mother. Theseus was said to have been born of 
Aithra, “ the pure air,” and CEdipus of Iokaste, “ the violet light 
of morning .” Perseus was born of the virgin Danae, and was 
called the “ Son of the bright morning.”' In 16, the mother of the 
“ sacred bull,” 6 the mother also of Hercules, we see the violet-tinted 
morning from which the sun is born; all these gods and heroes 
being, like Christ Jesus, personifications of the Sun. 3 

1 Iienouf : Ilibbert Lectures, p. Ill and 161. in nature, and hence it was associated with 

- Ibid. p. 1G1 and 179. the SuN-gods. This animal was venerated by 

3 Ibid - PP- 179* nearly all the peoples of antiquity. (Wake : 

4 See Tales of Ancient Greece, pp. xxxi. and Phallism in Anct. Religs., p. 45.) . 1 

82 o See Aryan Myths, vol. i. p. 229. 

5 The Bull, symbolized the productive force 





EXPLANATION. 


477 


“ The Saviour of Mankind ” was also represented as being bora 
of the “ dusky mother ,” which accounts for many Pagan, and so- 
called Christian, goddesses being represented black. 1 This is the 
dark night , who for many weary hours travails with the birth of 
her child. The Sun, which scatters the darkness, is also the child 
of the darkness, and so the phrase naturally went that he was born 
of her. Of the two legends related in the poems afterwards com¬ 
bined in the “ Hymn to Apollo,” the former relates the birth of 
Apollo, the Sun, from Leto, the Darkness , which is called his 
mother. 2 In this case, Leto would he personified as a “ black vir¬ 
gin,” either with or without the child in her arms. 

The dark earth was also represented as being the mother of the 
god Sun, who apparently came out of, or was bora of her, in the 
East, 3 as Minos (the sun) was represented to have been bora of Ida 
(the earth). 4 

In Hindoo mythology, the Earth , under the name of Pritliivi , 
receives a certain share of honors as one of the primitive goddesses 
of the Yeda, being thought of as the “ kind mother .” Moreover, 
various deities were regarded as the progeny resulting from the fan¬ 
cied union of the Earth with Dyaus (Heaven). 5 

Our Aryan forefathers looked up to the heavens and they gave 
it the name of Dyaus , from a root-word which means “ to shineS 
And when, out of the forces and forms of nature, they afterwards 
fashioned other gods, this name of Dyaus became Dyaus pitar, the 
Heaven-father , or Lord of All; and in far later times, when the 
western Aryans had found their home in Europe, the Dyaus pitar 
of the central Asian land became the Zeupater of the Greeks, and 
the Jupiter of the Homans, and the first part of his name gave us 
the word Deity. 

According to Egyptian mythology, Isis was also the Earth. 8 
Again, from the union of Seb and Hut sprung the mild Osiris. 
Seb is the Earth , Hut is Heaven , and Osiris is the Sand 

Tacitus, the Homan historian, speaking of the Germans in a. d. 
98, says: 

“There is nothing in these several tribes that merit attention, except that 
they all agree in worshiping the goddess Earth, or as they call her, Herlh, whom 
they consider as the common mother of all .” 3 

1 See Chap. XXXII. Earth." (Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, 

2 See Tales of Ancient Greece, p. xviii. p. 15G.) 

3 “ The idea entertained by the ancients 4 Cox : Aryan Myths, p. 87. 

that these god-begotten heroes were engen- 6 See Williams’ Hindnism, p. 24, and Mill* 

dered without any carnal intercourse, and that ler’s Chips, vol. ii. pp. 277 and 290. 

they were the sons of Jupiter, is, in plain 6 See Bulfinch, p. 389. 

language, the result of the ethereal spirit, i. e., 7 See ltenonf’s Ilibbert Lectures, pp. 110 

the Holy Spirit, operating on the virgin mother 111. 8 Manners of the Germans, p. xi. 



478 


BIBLE MYTHS 


These virgin* mothers, and virgin goddesses of antiquity, were 
also, at times, personifications of the Moon , or of Nature. 1 

Who is “ God the Father ,” who overshadows the maiden ? The 
overshadowing of the maiden by u God the Father,” whether he 
be called Zeus, Jupiter or Jehovah, is simply the Heaven , the 
Sky , the u All-father ,” 2 looking down upon with love, and over¬ 
shadowing the maiden, the broad flushing light of Dawn , or the 
Earth . From this union the Sun is born without any carnal inter¬ 
course. The mother is yet a virgin . This is illustrated in Hindoo 
mythology by the union of Pritrivi, u Mother Earth” with Dyaus, 
“ Heaven.” Various deities were regarded as their progeny. 3 In 
the Vedic hymns the Sun —the Lord and Saviour, the Re¬ 
deemer and Preserver of Mankind—is frequently called the u Son 
of the Sky ,” 4 

According to Egyptian mythology, Seb (the Earth ) is over¬ 
shadowed by Nut ( Heaven ), the result of this union being the be¬ 
neficent Lord and Saviour, Osiris. 5 The same thing is to be found 
in ancient Grecian mythology. Zeus or Jupiter is the Sky, B and 
Danae, Leto, Iokaste, Io and others, are the Dawn , or the violet light 
of morning . 7 


1 See Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, 
pp. 81, 99, and 1G6. 

The Moon was called by the ancients, 
“ The Queen “ The Highest Princess 
“The Queen of Heaven “ The Princess and 
Queen of Heaven&c. She was Istar, 
Ashera, Diana, Artemis, Isis, Juno, Lucina, 
AstartS. (Goldzliicr, pp, 158, 158. Knight, pp. 
99, 100.) 

In the beginning of the eleventh book of 
Apuleius’ Metamorphosis, Isis is represented 
as addressing him thus: “I am present; I 
who am Nature , the parent of things, queen 
of all the elements, &c., &c. The primitive 
Phrygians called me Pressinuntica, the mother 
of the gods; the native Athenians, Ceropian 
Minerva ; the floating Cyprians, Paphian 
Venus ; the arrow-bearing Cretans, Dictymian 
Diana; the three-tongued Sicilians, Stygian 
Proserpine ; and the inhabitants of Eleusis, the 
ancient goddess Ceres. Some again have in¬ 
voked me as Juno, others as Deltona, others 
as Hecate, and others as Rhamnusia : and 
those who are enlightened by the emerging rays 
of the rising Sun, the Ethiopians, Ariians 
and Egyptians, powerful in ancient learning, 
who reverence my divinity with ceremonies 
perfectly proper, call me by a true appellation, 
‘ Queen Isis.' ” (Taylor’s Mysteries, p. 76.) 

2 The “God the Father” of all nations of 

antiquity was nothing more than a personifica¬ 

tion of the Sky or the Heavens. “The term 

Heaven (pronounced Thien ) is used everywhere 


in the Chinese classics for the Supreme Power, 
ruling and governing all the affairs of men 
with an omnipotent and omniscient righteous¬ 
ness and goodness.” (James Legge.) 

In one of the Chinese sacred books—the 
Shu-king— Heaven and Earth are called “ Father 
and Mother of all things." Heaven being the 
Father, and Earth the Mother. (Taylor : Prim¬ 
itive Culture, pp. 294-296.) 

The “God the Father” of the Indians is 
Dyaus, that is, the Sky. (Williams’ Hinduism, 
p.‘ 24.) 

Ormuzd, the god of the ancient Persians, 
was a personification of the sky. Herodotus, 
speaking of the Persians, says: “ They are 
accustomed to ascend the highest part of the 
mountains, and offer sacrifice to Jupiter (Or¬ 
muzd), and they call the ivhole circle of the 
heavens by the name of Jupiter." (Herodotus, 
book 1, ch. 131.) 

In Greek iconography Zeus is the Heaven. 
As Cicero says : “ The refulgent Heaven above 
is that which all men call, unanimously, Jove.” 

The Christian God supreme of the nine¬ 
teenth century is still Dyaus Pitar, the “ Heav¬ 
enly Father.” 

3 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 24. 

4 Muller : Origin of Religions, pp. 261, 290. 

3 Renouf: Ilibbert Lectures, pp. 110, 111. 

6 See Note 2. 

7 See Cox: Tales of Ancient Greece, pp. 
xxxi. and 82, and Aryan Mythology, vol. i. p. 
229. 



EXPLANATION. 479 

“ The Sky appeared to men (says Plutarch), to perform the functions of a 
Father, as the Earth those of a Mother. The sky was the father, for it cast seed 
into the bosom of the earth, which in receiving them became fruitful, and 
brought forth, and was the mother .” 1 

This union lias been sung in the following verses by Virgil: 

“ Turn pater omnipotens fecundis imbribis aether 
Conjugis in grenium laetae descendit.” (Geor. ii.) 

The Phenician theogony is founded on the same principles. 
Heaven and Earth (called Ouranos and Ghe) are at the head of a 
genealogy of aeons, whose adventures are conceived in the mytho¬ 
logical style of these physical allegorists. 2 

In the Samothracian mysteries, which seem to have been the 
most anciently established ceremonies of the kind in Europe, the 
Heaven and the Earth were worshiped as a male and female 
divinity , and as the parents of all things . 3 

The Supreme God (the Al fader ), of the ancient Scandinavians 
was Odin , a personification of the Heavens. The principal god¬ 
dess among them was Erigga , a personification of the Earth. It 
was the opinion among these people that this Supreme Being or 
Celestial God had united with the Earth (Erigga) to produce “ Bal- 
dur the Good” (the Sun), who corresponds to the Apollo of the 
Greeks and Romans, and the Osiris of the Egyptians. 4 

Xiuletl , in the Mexican language, signifies Blue , and hence was 
a name which the Mexican gave to Heaven , from which Xiuleti- 
cutli is derived, an epithet signifying “ the God of Heaven ,” which 
they bestowed upon TezcatUpoca , who was the “ Lord of All,” 
the “ Supreme God.” lie it was who overshadowed the Virgin 
of Tula, Chimelman, who begat the Saviour Quetzalcoatle (the 
Sun). 

3. His birth was foretold by a star. This is the bright morn¬ 
ing star — 

“ Fairest of stars, last in the train of Night, 

If better, thou belongst not to the Dawn, 

Sure pledge of day, that crown’st the smiling morn 
With thy bright circlet ” — 

which heralds the birth of the god Sol, the benificent Saviour. 

A glance at a geography of the heavens will show the “ chaste, 
pure, immaculate Virgin, suckling an infant,” preceded by a 


1 Quoted by Westropp : Phallic Worship, Occanus, Hyperon, Iapetus, Cronos, and other 

p 24 # gods.” (Phallic Worship, p. 23.) 

2 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. CG. “ In 3 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 64. 

Phenician Mythology Ouranos (Heaven) weds 4 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, pp. 80, 

Ghe (the Earth) and by her becomes father of 93, 91, 40G, 510, 51L 





480 


BIBLF* MYTIIS. 


/Star, which rises immediately preceding the Virgin and her child. 
This can truly be called u his Star,' 7 which informed the u Wise 
Men,” the “ Magi ” — Astrologers and Sun-worshipers —and “ the 
shepherds who watched their flocks by night” that the Saviour of 
Mankind was about to be born. 

4. The Heavenly Host sang praises. All nature smiles at the 
birth of the Heavenly Being. “ To him all angels cry aloud, the 
heavens, and all the powers therein.” “ Glory to God in the high¬ 
est, and on earth peace, good will towards men.” “ The quarters of 
the horizon are irradiate with joy, as if moonlight was diffused 
over the whole earth.” “ The spirits and nymphs of heaven dance 
and sing.” “ Caressing: breezes blow, and a marvelous light is 
produced.” For the Lord and Saviour is born, “ to give joy and 
peace to men and Devas, to shed light in the darh places , and to 
give sight to the blind.” 1 

5. lie was visited by the Magi. This is very natural, for the 
Magi were Sun-worshipers , and at early dawn on the 25th of Dec- 
cember, the astrologers of the Arabs, Chaldeans, and other Oriental 
nations, greeted the infant Saviour with gold, frankincense and 
myrrh. They started to salute their God long before the rising of 
the Sun, and having ascended a high mountain, they waited anx¬ 
iously for his birth, facing the East, and there hailed his first rays 
with incense and prayer. 2 The shepherds also, who remained in 
the open air watching their flocks by night, were in the habit of 
prostrating themselves, and paying homage to their god, the Sun. 
And, like the poet of the Veda, they said : 

“ Will the powers of darkness be conquered by the god of light ? ” 

And when the Sun rose, they wondered how, just born, he was 
so mighty. They greeted him : 

“Hail, Orient Conqueror of Gloom}'- Night.” 

And the human eye felt that it could not bear the brilliant 
majesty of him whom they called, “ The Life, the Breath, the 
Brilliant Lord and Father.” And they said : 

“ Let us worship again the Child of Heaven, the Son of Strength, Arusha, the 
Bright Light of the Sacrifice.” “ He rises as a mighty flame, he stretches out his 
wide arms, he is even like the wind.” “ His light is powerful, and his (virgin) 
mother, the Dawn, gives him the best share, the first worship among men. ” J 

6. lie teas born in a Cave. In this respect also, the history of 


1 See Chap. XIV. Prog. Eclig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 272. 

2 Seo Dupuis : Orig. Relig. Belief, p. 234. 3 Extracts from the Vedas. Mullers Chips, 

Higgins’ Anacalypeis, vol. ife pp. 93, 97, and vol. ii. pp. 93 and 137. 




EXPLANATION. 


481 


Christ Jesus corresponds with that of other Sun-gods and Saviours, 
for they are nearly all represented as being born in a cave or dun¬ 
geon. This is the dark abode from which the wandering Sun 
starts in the morning. 1 As the Dawn springs fully armed from the 
forehead of the cloven Sky, so the eye first discerns the blue of 
heaven, as the first faint arch of light is seen in the East. This 
arch is the cave in which the infant is nourished until he reaches 
his full strength—in other words, until the day is fully come. 

As the hour of his birth drew near, the mother became more 
beautiful, her form more brilliant, while the dungeon was filled 
with a heavenly light as when Zeus came to Danae in a golden 
shower. 2 

At length the child is born, and a halo of serene light encircles 
his cradle, just as the Sun appears at early dawn in the East, in all 
its splendor. His presence reveals itself there, in the dark cave, by 
his first rays, which brightens the countenances of his mother and 
others who are present at his birth. 3 

6 . He was ordered to bejput to death. All the Sun-gods are fated 
to bring ruin upon their parents or the reigning monarch . 4 For 
this reason, they attempt to prevent his birth, and failing in this, 
seek to destroy him when born. Who is the dark and wicked 
Kansa, or his counterpart Herod ? He is Night , who reigns su¬ 
preme, but who must lose his power when the young prince of glory, 
the Invincible, is born. 

The Sun scatters the Darhiess j and so the phrase went that 
the child was to be the destroyer of the reigning monarch, or his 
parent, Night / and oracles, and magi, it was said, warned the latter 
of the doom which would overtake him. The newly-born babe is 
therefore ordered to be put to death hy the sword, or exposed on 
the bare hillside, as the Sun seems to rest on the Earth (Ida) at its 
rising. 5 


1 Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. i. p. 153. 

2 Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 133. 

3 When Christ Jesus was born, on a sudden 
there was a great light in the cave, so that their 
eyes could not bear it. (Protevangelion, Apoc. 
ch. xiv.) 

4 “ Perseus. Oidipous, Romulus and Cyrus 

are doomed to bring ruin on their parents. 
They are exposed in their infancy on the hill¬ 
side, and rescued by a shepherd. All the solar 
heroes begin life in this way. Whether, like 
Apollo, born of the dark night (Leto), or like 
Oidipous, of the violet dawn (Iokaste), they 
are alike destined to bring destruction on their 
parents, as the Night and the Dawn are both 
destroyed by the Sun.” (Fiske„: p. 198.) 

31 


6 “ The exposure of the child in infancy 
represents the long rays of the morning sun 
resting on the hill-side.” (Fiske : Myths and 
Mythmakers, p. 198.) 

The Sun-hero Paris is exposed on the slopes 
of Ida, Oidipous on the slopes of Kithairon. 
and Aesculapius on that of the mountain of 
Myrtles. This is the rays of the newly-born 
sun resting on the mountain-side. (Cox : 
Aryan Myths, vol. i. pp. 64 and 80.) 

In Sanscrit Ida is the Earth, and so we have 
the mythical phrase, the Sun at its birth is 
exposed on Ida—the hill-side. The light of 
the sun must rest on the hill-side long before 
it reaches the dells beneath. (See Cox : vol. 
i. p. 221, and Fiske : p. 114.) 




482 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


In oriental mythology, the destroying principle is generally 
represented as a serpent or dragon. 1 How, the position of the sphere 
on Christmas-day, the birthday of the Sun, shows the Serpent all 
but touching, and certainly aiming at the woman —that is, the fig¬ 
ure of the constellation Virgo — who suckles the child Iessus in her 
arms. Thus we have it illustrated in the story of the snake who 
was sent to kill Hercules, when an infant in his cradle ; 2 also in the 
story of Typlion, who sought the life of the infant Saviour Ilorus. 
Again, it is illustrated in the story of the virgin mother Astrea, with 
her babe beset by Orion, and of Latona, the mother of Apollo, when 
pursued by the monster. 3 And last, that of the virgin mother 
Mary, with her babe beset by Herod. But like Hercules, Ilorus, 
Apollo, Theseus, Bomulus, Cyrus and other solar heroes , Christ 
Jesus has yet a long course before him. Like them, he grows up 
both wise and strong, and the “old Serpent ” is discomfited by him, 
just as the sphynx and the dragon are put to fiiglit by others. 

7. lie was tempted by the devil. The temptation by, and victory 
over the evil one, whether Mara or Satan, is the victory of the Sun 
over the clouds of storm and darkness. 4 Growing up in obscurity, 
the day comes when he makes himself known, tries himself in his 


1 Even as late as the seventeenth century, 
a German writer would illustrate a thunder¬ 
storm destroying a crop of corn, by a picture 
of a dragon devouring the produce of the field 
with his flaming tongue and iron teeth. (See 
Fiske : Myths and Mythmakers, p. 17, and 
Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii.) 

2 The history of the Saviour Hercules is so 
similar to that of the Saviour Christ Jesus, 
that the learned Dr. Parkhurst was forced to 
say, “ The labors of Hercules seem to have 
been originally designed as emblematic me¬ 
morials of what the keal Son of God, the 
Saviour of the world, was to do and suffer for 
our sakes, bringing a cure for all our ills, as 
the Orphic hymn speaks of Hercules.” 

3 Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, pp. 158, 166, 
and 168. 

* In ancient mythology, all heroes of 
light were opposed by the “Old Serpent,” the 
Devil, symbolized by Serpents, Dragons, 
Sphinxes and other monsters. The Serpent 
was, among the ancient Eastern nations, the 
symbol of Evil, of Winter, of Darkness and of 
Death. It also symbolized the dark cloud , 
which, by harboring the rays of the Sun, pre- 
venting its shining, and therefore, is apparently 
attempting to destroy it. The Serpent is one of 
the chief mystic personifications of the Rig- 
Veda, under the names of Ahi, Suchna, and 
others. They represent the Cloud, the enemy 
of the Sun, keeping back the fructifying rays. 
Indra struggles victoriously against him. and 
spreads life on the earth, with the shining 


warmth of the Father of Life, the Creator, the 
Sun. 

Buddha, the Lord and Saviour, was described 
as a superhuman organ of light, to whom a 
superhuman organ of darkness, Mara, the Evil 
Serpent, was opposed. He, like Christ Jesus, 
resisted the temptations of this evil one, and is 
represented sitting on a serpent, as if its con¬ 
queror. (See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, p. 39.) 

Crishna also ovei’came the evil one, and is 
represented “ bruising the head of the serpent,” 
and standing upon it. (See vol. i. of Asiatic 
Researches,and vol. ii. of Higgins’ Anacalypsis.) 

In Egyptian Mythology, one of the names 
of the god-£tm was lid. He had an adversary 
who was called Apap, represented in the form 
of a serpent. (See Renouf's Hibbert Lectures, 
p. 109.) 

Horns, the Egyptian incarnate god, the Me¬ 
diator, Redeemer and Saviour, is represented in 
Egyptian art as overcoming the Evil Serpent, 
and standing triumphantly upon him. (Sec 
Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 158, and Monu¬ 
mental Christianity, p. 402.) 

Osiris, Ormuzd, Mithras, Apollo, Bacchus, 
Hercules, Indra, GSdipus, Quetzalcoatle, and 
many other Sun-gods, overcame the Evii One, 
and are represented in the above described 
manner. (See Cox’s Tales of Ancient Gi’eece, 
p. xxvii. and Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 129. 
Baring-Gonld’s Curious Myths, p. 256. Bul- 
fiinch's Age of Fable, p. 34. Bunsen’s Angel- 
Messiah, p. x., and Kingsborough’s Mexican 
Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 176.) 



EXPLANATION. 


483 


first battles with his gloomy foes, and shines without a rival. He 
is rife for his destined mission, but is met by the demon of storm, 
who runs to dispute with him in the duel of the storm. In this 
struggle against darkness the beneficent hero remains the conqueror, 
the gloomy army of Mara, or Satan, broken and rent, is scattered ; 
the Apearas, daughters of the demon, the last light vapors which 
float in the heaven, try in vain to clasp and retain the vanquisher ; 
he disengages himself from their embraces, repulses them ; they 
writhe, lose their form, and vanish. 

Free from every obstacle, and from every adversary, he sets in 
motion across space his disk with a thousand rays, having avenged 
the attempts of his eternal foe. He appears then in all his glory, 
and in his sovereign splendor; the god has attained the summit of 
his course, it is the moment of triumph. 

8. He was put to death on the cross. The Sun has now reached 
his extreme Southern limit, his career is ended, and he is at last 
overcome by his enemies. The powers of darkness , and of winter , 
which had sought in vain to wound him, have at length won the 
victory. The bright Sun of summer is finally slain, crucified in the 
heavens , and pierced by the arrow, spear or thorn of winter. 1 Be¬ 
fore he dies, however, he sees all his disciples — his retinue of light, 
and the twelve hours of the day, or the twelve months of the year 
— disappear in the sanguinary melee of the clouds of the evening. 

Throughout the tale, the Sun-god was but fulfilling his doom. 1 
These things must be. The suffering of a violent death was a neces¬ 
sary part of the mytlios; and, when his hour had come, he must 
meet his doom, as surely as the Sun, once risen, must go across the 
eky, and then sink down into his bed beneath the earth or sea. It 
was an iron fate from which there was no escaping. 

Crishna, the crucified Saviour of the Hindoos, is a personification 
of the Sun crucified in the heavens. One of the names of the Sun in 
the Vedic hymns is Vishnu , a and Crishna is Vishnu in human form. 3 


i The crucifixion of the Sun-gods is simply 
the power of Darkness triumphing over the 
“ Lord of Light,” and Winter overpowering 
the Summer. It was at the Winter solstice that 
the ancients wept for Tammuz, the fair Adonis, 
and other Sun-gods, who were put to death by 
the boar, 6lain by the thorn of winter. (See 
Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 113.) 

Other versions of the same myth tell us of 
Eurydike stung to death by the hidden serpent, 
of Sifrit smitten by Hagene (the Thorn), of 
Isfendiyar slain by the thorn or arrow of Rus¬ 
tem, of Achilleus vulnerable only in the heel, 
of Brynhild enfolded within the dragon’s coils, 


of Meleagros dying as the torch of doom is burnt 
out, of Baldur, the brave and pure, smitten by 
the fatal mistletoe, and of Crishna and others 
being crucified. 

In Egyptiau mythology, Set, the destroyer, 
triumphs in the West. He is the personification 
of Darkness and Winter , and the Sun-god whom 
he puts to death, is Horus the Saviour. (See 
Renouf’s Hibbert Lectures, pp. 112-115.) 

2 “In the JUg-Veda the god Vishnu is often 
named as a manifiestation of the Solar energy, 
or rather as a form of the Sun.” (Indian Wis¬ 
dom, p. 322.) 

3 Crishna says : “ I am Vishnu, Brahma, 



484 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


In tlie liymns of the Rig- Veda the Sun is spoken of as “ stretch¬ 
ing out his arms” in the heavens, “ to bless the world, and to res¬ 
cue it from the terror of darkness.” 

Indra, the crucified Saviour worshiped in Nepal and Tibet, 1 is 

identical with Crishna, the Sun. 2 

The principal Phenician deity, El, which, says Parkhurst, in his 
Hebrew Lexicon, “ was the very name the heathens gave to their 
god Sol, their Lord or Ruler of the Hosts of Heaven,” was called 
“The Preserver (or Saviour ) of the World ” for the benefit of which 
he offered a mystical sacrifice? 

The crucified Iao (“Divine Love” personified) is the cruci¬ 
fied Adonis, the Sun. The Lord and Saviour Adonis was called 
lao? 

Osiris , the Egyptian Saviour, was crucified in the heavens. To 
the Egyptian the cross was the symbol of immortality, an emblem 
of the Sun , and the god himself was crucified to the tree, which 
denoted his fructifying power. 5 

Homes was also crucified in the heavens. He was represented, 
like Crishna and Christ Jesus, with outstretched arms in the vault 
of heaven? 

The story of the crucifixion of Prometheus was allegorical, for 
Prometheus was only a title of the Sun, expressing providence or 
foresight , wherefore his being crucified in the extremities of the 
earth, signified originally no more than the restriction of the power 
of the Sun during the winter months. 7 

Who was Ixion , bound on the wheel ? Lie was none other than 
the god Sol, crucified in the heavens. 8 Whatever be the origin of 
the name, Ixion is the “Sun of noonday” crucified in the heavens, 
wdiose four-spoked wheel, in the words of Pindar, is seen whirling 
in the highest heaven. 9 


Indra , and the source as well as the destruction 
of things, the creator and the annihilator of the 
whole aggregate of existences. (Cox : Aryan 
Mythology, vol. ii. p. 131.) 

1 See Chap. XX. 

2 Indra , who was represented as a crucified 
god, is also the Sun. No sooner is he born than 
he speaks to his mother. Like Apollo and all 
other Sun-gods he has golden locks , and 
like them he is possessed of an inscrutable 
wisdom. He is also born of a virgin—the Dawn. 
Crishna and Indra are one. (See Cox : Aryan 
Mythology, vol. i. pp. 88 and 341; vol. ii. p. 131.) 

3 Wake : Phallism, &c., p. 55. 

4 See Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 113. 

6 Ibid. pp. 115 and 12 j. 

6 See Bonwick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 157. 


7 Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, p. 88. 

A great number of the Solar heroes or Sun- 

gods are forced to endure being bound, which 
indicates the tied-up power of the sun in winter. 
(Goldzhier : Hebrew Mythology, p. 406.) 

8 The Sun, as climbing the heights of heaven, 
is an arrogant being, given to making exorbi¬ 
tant claims, who must be bound to the fiery 
cross. “ The phrases which described the Sun 
as revolving daily on his four-spoked cross, or 
as doomed to sink in the sky when his orb had 
reached the zenith, would give rise to the stories 
of Ixion on his flaming wheel.” (Cox : Aryan 
Mythology, vol. ii. p. 27.) 

0 So was Ixion bound on the fiery wheel, 
and the sons of men see the flaming spokes 
day by day as it whirls in the high heaven. 1 ' 



EXPLANATION. 


485 


The wheel upon which Ixion and criminals were said to have 
been extended was a cross , although the name of the thing was 
dissembled among Christians ; it was a St. Andrew’s cross, of, which 
two spokes confined the arms, and two the legs. (See Fig. No. 35.) 

The allegorical tales of the triumphs and misfortunes of the 
/SWi-gods of the ancient Greeks and Romans, signify the alternate 
exertion of the generative and destructive attributes. 

Hercules is torn limb from limb ; and in this catastrophe we see 
the blood-red sunset which closes the career 
of Hercules. 1 The Sun-god cannot rise to 
the life of the blessed gods until he has 
been slain. The morning cannot come until 
the Eos who closed the previous day has 
faded away and died in the black abyss of 
night. 

Achilleus and Meleagros represent alike 
the short-lived Sun , whose course is one of 
toil for others, ending in an early death, after 
a series of wonderful victories alternating 
with periods of darkness and gloom. 2 

In the tales of the Trojan war, it is re¬ 
lated of Achilleus that he expires at the 
Skaian, or western gates of the evening. He 
is slain by Paris, who here appears as the Pani, or dark power, who 
blots out the light of the Sun from the heaven. 3 * 

We have also the story of Adonis , born of a virgin, and known 
in the countries where he was worshiped as “ The Saviour of Man¬ 
kind,” killed by the wild boar , afterwards “rose from the dead, 
and ascended into heaven.” This Adonis, Adonai—in Hebrew 
“ My Lord ”—is simply the Sun. He is crucified in the heavens, 
put to death by the wild boar of Ares* one of the twelve signs in 
the zodiac. 

The Crucified Hove worshiped by the ancients, w T as none 
other than the crucified Sun. Adonis was called the Dove. At 
the ceremonies in honor of his resurrection from the dead, the de¬ 
votees said, “ Hail to the Dove! the Restorer of Light.” 5 Fig. 
No. 35 is the “ Crucified Dove ” as described by Pindar, the great 
lyric poet of Greece, born about 522 b. c. 



i 


1 Cox: Tales of Ancient Greece, p. xxxii. 

3 Ibid. p. xxxiii. 

3 “ That the story of the Trojan war is almost 

wholly mythical, has been conceded even by 


the stoutest champions of Homeric unity.” 
(Rev. G. W. Cox.) 

4 See Muller’s Science of Religion, p. 18(5. 

6 Sec Calmet’s Fragments, vol. ii. pp. 21, 22. 






486 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“We read in Pindar, (says the author of a learned work entitled “ Nimrod,”) 
of the venerable bird lynx bound to the wheel, and of the pretended punishment 
of Ixion. But this rotation was really no punishment, being, as Pindar saith, 
voluntary, and prepared by himself and for himself; or if it was, it was appointed 
in derision of his false pretensions, whereby he gave himself out as the crucified 
spirit of the world” “ The four spokes represent St. Andrew’s cross, adapted to 
the four limbs extended, and furnish perhaps the oldest profane allusion to the 
crucifixion. The same cross of St. Andrew was the Taw, which Ezekiel com¬ 
mands them to mark upon the foreheads of the faithful, as appears from all 
Israelitisli coins whereon that letter is engraved. The same idea was familiar to 
Lucian, who calls T the letter of crucifixion. Certainly, the veneration for the 
cross is very ancient. lynx, the bird of Mautic inspiration, bound to the four¬ 
legged wheel, gives the notion of Divine Love crucified. The wheel denotes the 
world, of which she is the spirit, and the cross the sacrifice made for that 
world .” 1 

This “ Divine Love” of whom Nimrod speaks, was “The First- 
begotten Son ” of the Platonists. The crucifixion of “ Divine 
Love” is often found among the Greeks. Ionali or Juno, ac¬ 
cording to the Iliad , was bound with fetters, and suspended in 
space, between heaven and earth. Ixion, Prometheus, Apollo of 
Miletus, (anciently the greatest and most flourishing city of Ionia, 
in Asia Minor), were all crucified. 2 

Semi-Ramis was both a queen of unrivaled celebrity, and also 
a goddess, worshiped under the form of a Dove. Her name signi¬ 
fies the Supreme Dove. She is said to have been slain by the last 
survivor of her sons, while others say, she flew away as a bird—a 
Dove. In both Grecian and Hindoo histories this mystical 
queen Semiramis is said to have fought a battle on the banks 
of the Indus, with a king called Staurobates, in which she was 
defeated, and from which she flew away in the form of a Dove. 
Of this Nimrod says: 

“The name Staurobates, the king by whom Semiramis was finally overpow¬ 
ered, alluded to the cross on which she perished,” and that, “ the crucifixion was 
made into a glorious mystery by her infatuated adorers.”* 

Here again we have the crucified Dove, the Sun , for it is well 
known that the ancients personified the Sun female as well as male. 

We have also the fable of the Crucified Rose, illustrated in the 
jewel of the Rosicrucians. The jewel of the Rosicrucians is formed 


1 Nimrod : vol. i. p. 278. in Anac., i. p. 503. 

2 At Miletus was the crucified Apollo— 
Apollo, who overcome the Serpent or evil prin¬ 
ciple. Thus Callimachus, celebrating this 
achievement, in his hymn to Apollo, has these 
remarkable words : 

“ Thee thy blest mother bore, and pleased 
assign’d 

The wil ling Saviour of distressed mankind.” 


3 These words apply to Christ Jesns, as well 
as Semiramis, according to the Christian Father 
Ignatius. In his Epistle to the Church at 
Ephesus, he says : “ Now the virginity of Mary, 
and he who was born of her, was kept in secret 
from the prince of this world, as was also the 
death of our Lord : three o the mysteries the 
most spoken of throughout the world , yet done 
in secret by God." 




EXPLANATION. 


487 


of a transparent red stone, with a red cross on one side, and a red 
rose on the other—thus it is a crucified rose. “ The Rossi, 01 
Rosy-crucians’ idea concerning this emblematic red cross,” says Har¬ 
grave Jennings, in liis History of the Rosierucians, “ probably 
came from the fable of Adonis—who was the Sun whom we have 
so often seen crucified —being changed into a red rose by Venus.” 1 

The emblem of the Templars is a red rose on across. “ When it 
can be done, it is surrounded with a glory, and placed on a calvary 
(Fig. No. 36). This is the Naurutz, Natsir, or Rose of Isuren, of 
Tamul, or Sharon, or the Water Rose, the 
Lily Padma, Pena, Lotus, crucified in the 
heavens for the salvation of man? 

Christ Jesus was called the Rose— the 
Rose of Sharon—of Isuren. He was the 
renewed incarnation of Divine Wisdom. 

He was the son of Maia or Maria. He was 
the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Val¬ 
ley, which blowetli in the month of his 
mother Maia. TJius, when the angel Ga¬ 
briel gives the salutation to the Virgin, he 
presents her with the lotus or lily; as may 
be seen in hundreds of old pictures in 
Italy. We see therefore that Adonis, 

“ the Lord,” “ the Virgin-born,” “the 
Crucified,” “ the Resurrected Dove,” “the Restorer of Light,” is 
one and the same with the “ Rose of Sharon,” the crucified Christ 
Jesus. 

Plato (429 b. c.) in his PimcBus , philosophizing about the Son 
of God, says: 

“ The next power to the Supreme God was decussated or figured in the shape 
of a cross on the universe ” 

This brings to recollection the doctrine of certain so-called Chris¬ 
tian heretics , who maintained that Christ Jesus was crucified in the 
heavens. 

The Chrestos was the Logos, the Sim was the manifestation of 
the Logos or Wisdom to men ; or, as it was held by some, it was his 
peculiar habitation. The Sun being crucified at the time of the 
winter solstice was represented by the young man slaying the Bull 
(an emblem of the San ) in the Mithraic ceremonies, and the slain 
lamb at the foot of the cross in the Christian ceremonies. The 
direst was the Logos, or Divine Wisdom, or a portion of divine 



1 The Rosicrucians, p. 260. 


a Ibid. 















488 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


wisdom incarnate; in this sense he is really the Sun or the solar 
power incarnate, and to him everything applicable to the Sun will 
apply. 

Fig. No. 37, taken from Mr. Lundy’s “ Monumental Christi¬ 
anity,” is evidently a representation of the Christian Saviour cruci¬ 
fied in the heavens. Mr. Lundy calls it “ Crucifixion in Space,” and 
believes that it was intended for the Hindoo Saviour Crishna, who 
is also represented crucified in space (See Fig. No. 8, Cli. XX.). This 

(Fig. 37) is exactly in the form 
of a Romish crucifix, hut not 
fixed to a piece of wood , though 
the legs and feet are put to¬ 
gether in the usual way. There 
is a glory over it, coming from 
above , not shining from the fig¬ 
ure, as is generally seen in a 
Roman crucifix. It has a pointed 
Parthian coronet instead of a 
crown of thorns. All the ava¬ 
tars, or incarnations of Vishnu, 
are painted with Ethiopian or 
Parthian coronets. For these 
reasons the Christian author will 
not own that it is a representa¬ 
tion of the “ True Son of Justice,” for he was not crucified 
in space; but whether it was intended to represent Crishna, 
Wittoba, or Jesus, 1 it tells a secret: it shows that some one was 
represented crucified in the heavens, and undoubtedly has something 
to do with “ The next power to the Supreme God,” who, according 
to Plato, “ was decussated or figured in the shape of a cross on the 
universe .” 

Who was the crucified god whom the ancient Romans wor¬ 
shiped, and whom they, according to Justin Martyr, represented as 
a man on a cross ? Can we doubt, after what we have seen, that 
he was this same crucified Sol, whose birthday they annualty cele¬ 
brated on the 25th of December ? 

In the poetical tales of the ancient Scandinavians , the same 
legend is found. Frey, the Deity of the Sun , was fabled to have 
been killed, at the time of the winter solstice, by the same boar who 
put the god Adonis to death, therefore a boar was annually offered 



‘The Sun-gods Apollo, Indra, Wittoba or Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 23, and Moor’s Hindu 

Crishna, and Christ Jesus, are represented as Pantheon.) 

having their feet pierced with nails (See Cox : •* 









EXPLANATION. 


489 


to him at the great feast of Yule. 1 2 “Baldur the Good,” son of the 
supreme god Odin, and the virgin-goddess Frigga, was also put to 
death by the sharp thorn of winter. 

The ancient Mexican crucified Saviour, Quetzalcoatle, another 
personification of the Sun, was sometimes represented as crucified 
in space, in the heavens , in a circle of nineteen figures, the number 
of the metonic cycle. A serpent (the emblem of evil, darkness, and 
winter) is depriving him of the organs of generation. 3 

We have seen in Chapter XXXIII. that Christ Jesus, and many 
of the heathen saviours, healers, and preserving gods, were represent¬ 
ed in the form of a Serpent. This is owing to the fact that, in one of 
its attributes , the Serpent was an emblem of the Sun. It may, at 
first, appear strange that the Serpent should be an emblem of evil, 
and yet also an emblem of the beneficent divinity; but, as Prof. 
Renouf remarks, in his Hibbert Lectures , “ The moment we under¬ 
stand the nature of a myth, all impossibilities, contradictions, and 
immoralities disappear.” The serpent is an emblem of evil when 
represented with his deadly sting • he is the emblem of eternity 
when represented casting off his skinf and an emblem of the Sun 
when represented with his tail in his mouth , thus forming a circle. 4 * 
Thus there came to be, not only good, but also bad, serpents, both 
of which are referred to in the narrative of the Hebrew exodus, 
but still more clearly in the struggle between the good and the bad 
serpents of Persian mythology, which symbolized Ormuzd, or 
Mithra, and the evil spirit Ahriman. 8 

As the Dove and the Rose, emblems of the Sun, were represented 
on the cross, so was the Serpent. 6 * The famous “ Brazen Serpent,” 
said to have been “ set up ” by Moses in the wilderness, is called in 
the Targum (the general term for the Aramaic versions of the Old 


1 Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., pp. 87, 88. 

2 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 32. 

3 “ This notion is quite consistent with the 
ideas entertained by the Phenicians as to the 
Serpent, which they supposed to have the 
quality of putting off its old age, and as¬ 
suming a second youth.” Sanchoniathon : 
Quoted by Wake : Phallism, &c., p. 43.) 

4 Une serpent qui tient sa queue dans sa 

gueule et dans le circle qu'il decrit, ces trois 

lettres Greques THE, qui sont le nombre 365. 
Le Serpent, qui est d’ordinaire un embleme de 
l’eternete est ici celui de Soleil et des ses revolu¬ 

tions. (Beausobre : Hist, de Manich. tom. ii. 
p. 55. Quoted by Lardner, vol. viii. p. 379.) 

“This idea existed even in America. The 
great century of the Aztecs was encircled by 
a serpent grasping its own tail , and the great 


calendar stone is entwined by serpents bearing 
human heads in their distended jaws.” 

“ The annual passage of the Sun, through 
the signs of the zodiac, being in an oblique 
path, resembles, or at least the ancients 
thought so, the tortuous movements of the 
Serpent, and the facility possessed by this rep¬ 
tile of casting off his skin and producing out 
of itself a new covering every year, bore some 
analogy to the termination of the old year and 
the commencement of the new one. Accord¬ 
ingly, all the ancient spheres—the Persian, 
Indian, Egyptian, Barbaric, and Mexican— 
were surrounded by the figure of a serpent 
holding its tail in its mouth.'''' (Squire : Ser¬ 
pent Symbol, p. 249.) 

6 Wake : Phallism, p. 42. 

6 See Cox : Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 128. 



490 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


Testament) tlie Saviour. It was probably a serpentine crucifix, as 
it is called a cross by Justin Martyr. Tlie crucified serpent (Jig. 
No. 38) denoted the quiescent P hallos, or the Sun after it had lost 
its power. It is the Sun in winter, crucified on the tree, which de¬ 
noted its fructifying power. 1 As Mr. Wake remarks, “ There can 
be no doubt that both the Pillar (Phallus) and the Serpent were 
associated with many of the Sun-gods of antiquity.” 2 

This is seen in Fig. No. 39, taken from an ancient medal, which 
represents the serpent with rays of glory surrounding his head. 

The Ophites, who venerated the serpent as an emblem of Christ 


FiCi.3S 

Jesus, are said to have maintained that the serpent of Genesis— 
who brought wisdom into the world — was Christ Jesus. The 
brazen serpent was called the Word by the Chaldee paraphrast. The 
Word, or Logos, was Divine Wisdom, which was crucified ; thus we 
have the cross, or Linga, or Phallus, with the serpent upon it. Be¬ 
sides considering the serpent as the emblem of Christ Jesus, or of 
the Logos, the Ophites are said to have revered it as the cause of 
all the arts of civilized life. In Chapter NIL we saw that several 
illustrious females were believed to have been selected and impreg¬ 
nated by the Holy Ghost. In some cases, a serpent was supposed 
to be the form which it assumed. This was the incarnation ¥ of the 
Logos. 




1 Being the most intimately connected with 
the reproduction of life on earth, the Linga 
became the symbol under which the Sun , in¬ 
voked with a thousand names, has been wor¬ 
shiped throughout the world as the restorer of 
the powers of nature after the long sleep or 


death of Winter. In the brazen Serpent of the 
Pentateuch, the two emblems of the Cross and 
Serpent , the quiescent and energizing Phallos , 
are united. (Cox : Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. pp. 
113-118.) 

3 Wake : Phallism, &c., p. CO. 

















EXPLANATION. 


491 


The serpent was held in great veneration by the ancients, who, 
as we have seen, considered it as the symbol of the beneticent Deity, 
and an emblem of eternity. As such it has been variously ex¬ 
pressed on ancient sculptures and medals in various parts of the 
globe. 

Although generally, it did not always, symbolize the god Sun, 
or the power of which the Sun is an emblem ; but, invested with 
various meanings, it entered widely into the primitive mythologies. 
As Mr. Squire observes : 

“ It typified wisdom, power, duration, tlie good and evil principles, life, re¬ 
production — in short, in Egypt, Syria, Greece, India, China, Scandinavia, 
America, everywhere on the globe, it lias been a prominent emblem .” 1 

The serpent was the symbol of Vishnu, the preserving god, the 
Saviour, the Sun* * It was an emblem of the Sun-god Buddha, the 
Angel-Messiah. 3 The Egyptian Sun-god Osiris, the Saviour, is asso¬ 
ciated with the snake. 4 The Persian Mithra, the Mediator, Re¬ 
deemer, and Saviour, was symbolized by the serpent. 5 The Plie- 
nicians represented their beneficent Sun-god, Agathodemon, by a 
serpent. 6 The serpent was, among the Greeks and Romans, the 
emblem of a beneficent genius . Antipator of Sidon, calls the god 
Ammon, the “ Renowned Serpent.” 7 The Grecian Hercules—the 
Sun-god—was sjunbolized as a serpent; and so was JEsculapius and 
Apollo. The Hebrews, who, as we have seen in Chapter XL, wor¬ 
shiped the god Sol, represented him in the form of a serpent. 
This is the seraph — spoken of above — as set up by Moses (Hum. 
xxi. 3) and worshiped by the children of Israel. Se ra pii is the 
singular of seraphim, meaning Semilice — splendor, fire, light — 
emblematic of the fiery disk of the Sun, and which, under the name 
of Nehusli-tan , “ Serpent-dragon,” was broken up by the reforming 

Hezekiah. * 

The principal god of the Aztecs was Tonac- atlcoatl, which means 

the Serpent Sun* 

The Mexican virgin-born Lord and Saviour, Quetzalcoatle, was 
represented in the form of a serpent. In fact, his name signifies 
“ Feathered Serpent P Quetzalcoatle was a personification of the 
Sun* s 

Under the aspect of the active principle , we may rationally 


» Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 155. 
a Wake : Phallism in Anct. Religs., p. 7:2. 

’ Ibid. p. 73. Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 
195. 

* Faber : Orig. Pagan Idol., in Squire, p. 
158. 


s Ibid. 

« Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 375. 
* Ibid. 

8 Squire : p. 161. 

9 Ibid. p. 185. 




X 



492 


BIBLE MY TITS. 


connect tlie Serpent and the San, as corresponding symbols of the 
reproductive ov creative power. Figure No. 40 is a symbolical sign, 
representing the disk of the Sun encircled by the serpent Uraeus, 
meaning the “ King Sun,” or “ Royal Sun,” as it often surmounts 
the persons of Egyptian monarchs, confirmed by the emblem of life 
depending from the serpent’s neck. 1 2 

The mysteries of Osiris, Isis, and Homs, in Egypt; Atys and 
Cvbele, in Phrygia; Ceres and Proserpine, at Eleusis / of Venus 
and Adonis, in Phenicia / of Bona Dea and Priapus, in Rome , are 
all susceptible of one explanation. They all set forth and illustrated, 

by solemn and impressive rites, and mystical 
symbols, the grand phenomenon of nature, 
especially as connected with the creation of 
things and the perpetuation of life. In all, it 
is worthy of remark, the serpent was more or 
less conspicuously introduced, and always as 
symbolical of the invigorating or active energy 
of nature, the Sun. 

We have seen (in Chapter XX.) that in 
early Christian art Christ Jesus also was represented as a crucified 
Lamb. This crucified lamb is “ the Lamb of God taking away the 
sins of the world, and slain from the foundation of the world.” 3 In 
other words, the crucified lamb typifies the crucified Sun, for the 
lamb was another symbol of the Sun, as we shall presently see. 

We find, then, that the stories of the crucifixions of the differ¬ 
ent so-called Saviours of mankind all melt hito one, and that they 
are allegorical , for “ Saviour ” was only a title of dlie Sun, 3 and his 
being put to death on the cross, signifies no more than the restric¬ 
tion of the power of the Sun in the winter quarter. With Justin 
Martyr, then, we can say: 

“ There exists not a people, whether Greek or barbarian, or any other race 
of men, by whatsoever appellation or manners they may be distinguished, how¬ 
ever ignorant of arts or agriculture, whether they dwell under the tents, or wan- 



Fig N9 40 


1 Squire : p. 1G9. 

2 Lundy : Monumental Christianity, p. 185. 

3 “ Saviour was a common title of the Sun- 
gods of antiquity.” (Wake : Phallism in Anct. 
lteligs., p. 55.) 

The ancient Greek writers speak of the 
Sun, as the “ Generator and Nourisher of all 
Things the “ Ruler of the World the 
“ First of the Gods,” and the “ Supreme Lord 
of all Beings.” (Knight: Ancient Art and 
Mytho., p. 37.) 

Pausanias (500 b. c.) speaks of “Ihe Sun 


having the surname of Saviour.” (Ibid. p. 
98, note.) 

“ There is a very remarkable figure copied 
in Payne Knight’s Work, in which we see on 
a man’s shoulders a cock's head, whilst on the 
pediment are placed the words : “The Saviour 
of the World.” (Inman : Anct. Faiths, vol. 
i. p. 537.) This refers to the Sun. The cock 
being the natural herald of the day, he was 
therefore sacred, among the ancients, to the 
Sun.” (See Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., 
p. 70, and Lardner : vol. viii. p. 377.) 







EXPLANATION. 


493 


der about in crowded wagons, among whom prayers are not offered up in the 
name of A Crucified Saviour 1 to the Father and creator of all things .” 2 3 

9. “And many women were there beholding afar off A* The 
4 * tender mother who had watched over him at his birth, and the fair 
maidens whom he has loved, will never forsake him. They yet 
remain with him, and while their tears drop on his feet, which they 
kiss, their voices cheer him in his ]ast hour. In these we have the 
Dawn , who bore him, and the fair and beautiful lights which flush 
the Eastern sky as the Sun sinks or dies in the West. 4 Their tears 
are the tears of dew, such as Eos weeps at the death of her child. 

All the Sun-gods forsake their homes and virgin mothers, and 
wander through different countries doing marvellous things. Fi- 
11 ally, at the end of their career, the mother, from whom they 
were parted long ago, is by their side to cheer them in their last 
hours. 5 

The ever-faitliful women were to be found at the last scene in 
the life of Buddha. Kasyapa having found the departed master’s 
feet soiled and wet, asked Handa the cause of it. “ Tie was told 
that a weeping woman had embraced Gautama’s feet shortly before 
his death, and that her tears had fallen on his feet and left the marks 
on them.” 6 

In his last hours, (Edijoous (the Sun) has been cheered by the 
presence of Antigone. 7 

At the death of Hercules , Iole (the fair-haired Dawn) stands 
by his side, cheering him to the last. With her gentle hands she 
sought to soothe his pain, and with pitying words to cheer him in 
his woe. Then once more the face of Hercules flushed with a deep 
joy, and he said : 

“ Ah, lole, brightest of maidens, thy voice shall cheer me as I sink down in 
the sleep of death. I saw and loved thee in the bright morning time, and now 
again thou hast come, in the evening, fair as the soft clouds which gather around 
the dying Sun. ” 

The black mists were spreading over the sky, but still Hercules 
sought to gaze on the fair face of Iole, and to comfort her in her 
sorrow. 

“ Weep not, Iole,” he said, “ my toil is done, and now is the time for rest. 

I shall see thee again in the bright land which is never trodden by the feet of 
night.” 

1 The name Jesus is the same as Joshua, and tender light which sheds its soft hue over 

and signifies Saviour. the Eastern heaven as the Sun sinks in death 

2 Justin Martyr: Dialog. Cum Typho. beneath the Western waters.” (Cox: Aryan 

Quoted in Gibbon's Rome, vol. i. p. 582. Myths, vol. i. p. 223.) 

3 Matt, xxvii. 55. 6 See Ibid. vol. i. p. 80. 

4 The ever-faithful woman who is always 6 Buusen : The Angel-Messiah, p. 49. 

near at the death of the Sun-god is “ the fair 7 Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. i. p. 223. 




404 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The same story is related in the legend of Ajiollo. The Dawn, 
from whom he parted in the early part of his career, comes to his 
side at eventide , and again meets him when his journey on earth 
has well nigh come to an end. 1 

When the Lord Prometheus was crucified on Mt. Caucasus, his 
especially professed friend, Oceanus, the fisherman, as his name, Pe- 
trseus, indicates, 2 3 being unable to prevail on him to make his peace 
with Jupiter, by throwing the cause of human redemption out of 
his hands, 3 u forsook him and fled.” None remained to be witnesses 
of his dying agonies, but the chorus of ever-amiable and ever-faith- 
ful women, which also bewailed and lamented him, but were unable 
to subdue his inflexible philanthropy. 4 5 

10. “ There ivas darkness all over the land.” 5 In the same 
manner ends the tale of the long toil and sorrows of other Sun- 
gods. The last scene exhibits a manifest return to the spirit of the 
solar myth. He must not die the common death of all men, for no 
disease or corruption can touch the body of the brilliant Sun. After 
a long struggle against the dark clouds who are arrayed against him, 
he is finally overcome, and dies. Blacker and blacker grow the 
evening shades, and finally “ there is darkness on the face of the 
earth,” and the din of its thunder clashes through the air. 6 

It is the picture of a sunset in wild confusion, of a sunset more 
awful, yet not more sad, than that which is seen in the last hours 
of many other Atm-gods. 7 It is the picture of the loneliness of the 
Sun, who sinks slowly down, with the ghastly hues of death upon 
his face, while none is nigh to cheer him save the ever-faitliful 
women. 

11. u IIe descended into hell.”* This is the Sun’s descent into 
the lower regions. It enters the sign Capricornus, or the Goat, and 


1 See Tales of Ancient Greece, p. xxxi. 

2 Petiueus was an interchangeable synonym 
of the name Oceanns. 

3 “ Then Peter took him, and began to re¬ 
buke him, saying. Be it far from thee, Lord, 
this shall not be unto thee.” (Matt. xvi. 22.) 

4 See Potter’s iEschylus. 

5 Matt, xxvii. 45. 

6 As the Sun dies, or sinks in the West, 
blacker and blacker grows the evening shades, 
till there is darkness on the face of the earth. 
Then from the high heavens comes down the 
thick clouds, and the din of its thunder crashes 
through the air. (Description of the death of 
Hercules, Tales of Ancient Greece, pp. Cl, 62.) 

7 It is the battle of the clouds over the 
dead or dying Sun, which is to be seen in the 
legendary history of many Sun-gods. (Cox : 


Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 91.) 

8 This was one of the latest additions of 
the Sun-myth to the history of Christ Jesus. 
This has been proved not only to have been 
an invention after the Apostles’ time, but even 
after the time of Eusebius (a.d. 325). The 
doctrine of the descent into hell was not in 
the ancient creeds or rules of faith. It is not 
to be found in the rules of faith delivered by 
Irenoeus (a.d. 190), by Origen (a.d. 230), or by 
Tertullian (a.d. 200-210), It is not expressed 
in those creeds which were made by the 
Councils as larger explications of the Apos¬ 
tles’ Creed; not in the Nicene, or Constanti- 
nopo.itan ; not in those of Ephesus, or Chalce- 
don ; not in those confessions made atSardica, 
Antioch, Selencia, Sirmium, &c. 



EXPLANATION. 


495 


the astronomical winter begins. The days have reached their short¬ 
est span, and the Sun has reached his extreme southern limit. The 
winter solstice reigns, and the Sun seems to stand still in his 
southern course. For three days and three nights he remains in 
hell — the lower regions. 1 In this respect Christ J esus is like other 
Sun-gods. 2 

In the ancient sagas of Iceland, the hero who is the Sun person¬ 
ified, descends into a tomb, where he fights a vampire. After a 
desperate struggle, the hero overcomes, and rises to the- surface of 
the earth. “ This, too, represents the Sun in the northern realms, 
descending into the tomb of winter, and there overcoming the power 
of darkness.” 3 

12. He rose again from the dead , and ascended into heaven . 
Resurrections from the dead, and ascensions into heaven, are gen¬ 
erally acknowledged to be solar features, as the history of many 
solar heroes agree in this particular. 

At the lointer solstice the ancients wept and mourned for Tam- 
muz , the fair Adonis, and other Sun-gods, done to death by the 
boar, or crucified — slain by the thorn of winter— and on the third 
day they rejoiced at the resurrection of their “ Lord of Light.” 4 

With her usual policy, the Church endeavored to give a Christian 
significance to the rites which they borrowed from heathenism, and 
in this case, the mourning for Tammuz, the fair Adonis, became the 
mourning for Christ Jesus, and joy at the rising of the natural Sun 
became joy at the rising of the “ Sun of Righteousness ”— at the 
resurrection of Christ Jesus from the grave. 

This festival of the Resurrection was generally held by the an¬ 
cients on the 25th of March, when the awakening of Spring may be 
said to be the result of the return of the Sun from the lower or far- 
off regions to which he had departed. At the equinox — say, the 


1 At the end of his career, the Sun enters 
the lowest regions , the bowels of the earth, 
therefore nearly all Sun-gods are made to 
‘“descend into hell,” and remain there for 
three days and three nights, for the reason 
that from the 22d to the 25th of December, the 
Snn apparently remains in the same place. 
Thus Jonah, a personification of the Sun (see 
Chap. IX.), who remains three days and three 
nights in the bowels of the earth—typified by 
a fish—is made to say : “ Out of the belly of 
hell cried I, and thou heardst my voice.” 

2 See Chapter XXII. 

3 Baring-Gould : Curious Myths, p. 260. 

“ The mighty Lord appeared in the form of 
a man, and enlightened those places which had 
ever before been in darkness ; and broke asun¬ 


der the fetters which before could not be broken; 
and with his invincible power visited those who 
sat in the deep darkness by iniquity, and the 
shadow of death by sin. Then the King of 
Glory trampled upon Death, seized the Prince 
of Hell, and deprived him of all his power.” 
(Description of Christ's Descent into Hell. 
Nicodemus: Apoc.) 

4 “ The women weeping for Tammuz was 
no more than expressive of the Sun’s loss of 
power in the winter quarter.” (King’s Gnos¬ 
tics, p. 102. See also, Cox: Aryan Mytho., 
vol. ii. p. 113.) 

After remaining for three days and three 
nights in the lowest regions, the Sun begins to 
ascend, thus he “ rises from the dead,” as it 
were, and “ascends into heaven.” 



496 


BIBLE MYTHS 


vernal—at Easter , the Sun lias been below the equator, and sud¬ 
denly rises above it. It has been, as it were, dead to us, but now 
it exhibits a resurrection. 1 The Saviour rises triumphant over the 
powers of darkness, to life and immortality, on the 25th of March, 
when the Sun rises in Aries. 

Throughout all the ancient world, the resurrection of the god 
Sol , under different names, was celebrated on March 25th, with 
great rejoicings. 2 

In tlie words of the Rev. Geo. W. Cox: 

“ The wailing of the Hebrew women at the death of Tammuz, the crucifixion 
and resurrection of Osiris, the adoration of the Babylonian Mylitta, the Sacti 
ministers of Hindu temples, the cross and crescent of Isis, the rites of the Jew¬ 
ish altar of Baal-Peor, wholly preclude all doubt of the real nature of the great 
festivals and mysteries of Plienicians, Jews, Assyrians, Egyptians, and Hin¬ 
dus .” 3 

All this was Sun and Nature worship, symbolized by the Linga 
and Yoni . As Mr. Bonwick says : 

“ The philosophic theist who reflects upon the story, known from the walls 
of China, across Asia and Europe, to the plateau of Mexico, cannot resist the 
impression that no materialistic theory of it can be satisfactory .” 4 

Allegory alone explains it. 

“ The Church, at an early date, selected the heathen festivals of Sun worship 
for its own, ordering the birth at Christmas, a fixed time, and the resurrection at 
Easter, a varying time, as in all Pagan religions ; since, though the Sun rose di¬ 
rectly after the vernal equinox, the festival, to be correct in a heathen point of 
view, had to be associated with the new moon .” 5 

The Christian, then, may well say: 

“When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of winter, thou didst open the 
kingdom of heaven (i. e., bring on the reign of summer), to all believers.” 

13. Christ Jesus is Creator of all things. We have seen (in 
Chapter XXVI.) that it was not God the Father, who was supposed 
by the ancients to have been the Creator of the world, but God the. 
Son, the Redeemer and Saviour of Mankind. Now, this Redeemer 
and Saviour was, as we have seen, the Sun, and Prof. Max Muller 
tells us that in the Vedic mythology, the Sun is not the bright De- 
va only, “ who performs his daily task in the sky, but he is supposed 
to perform much greater work. He is looked upon, in fact, as the 
Euler , as the Establisher , as the Creator of the world”* 

Having been invoked as the t; Life-bringer,” the Sun is also 


1 Bonwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 174. 

2 Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 100. 

3 Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 125. 


4 Egyptian Belief, p. 182. 

6 Ibid. 

6 Origin of Religions, p. 264. 



EXPLANATION. 


407 


called — in the Big-Veda—“ tlie Breath or Life of all that move 
and rest;” and lastly he becomes u The Maker of all things ,” by 
whom all the worlds have been brought together. 1 

There is a prayer in the Vedas , called Gayatree, which consists 
of three measured lines, and is considered the holiest and most 
efficacious of all their religious forms. Sir William Jones translates 
it thus: 

“ Let us adore tlie supremacy of that spiritual Sun, the godhead, who illumi¬ 
nates all, who re-creates all, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return ; 
whom we invoke to direct our undertakings aright in our progress toward his 
holy seat/’ 

With Seneca (a Homan philosopher, born at Cordova, Spain, Gi 
b. c.) then, we can say : 

“You may call the Creator of all things by different names (Bacchus, Hercu¬ 
les, Mercury, etc.), but they are only different names of the same divine being, 
the Sun .” 

14. lie is to l>e Judge of the gulch and the dead. Who is better 
able than the Sun to.be the judge of man’s deeds, seeing, as he does, 
from his throne in heaven, all that is done on earth ? ^ The Vedas 
speak of Surya—the pervading, irresistible luminary—as seeing 
all things and hearing all things, noting the good and evil deeds of 
men? 

According to Hindoo mythology, says Prof. Max Muller: 

“ The Sun sees everything, both what is good and what is evil ; and how 
natural therefore that (in the Indian Veda) both the evil-doer should be told that 
the sun sees what no human eye may have seen, and that the innocent, when 
all other help fails him, should appeal to the sun to attest his guiltlessness.” 

“Frequent allusion is made (in the Rig-Yeda), to the sun’s power of seeing 
everything. The stars flee before the all-seeing sun, like thieves. He sees the 
right and the wrong among men. He who looks upon the world knows also 
the thoughts in all men. As the sun sees everything and knows everything, he 
is asked to forget and forgive what he alone has seen and knows .’’ 3 

On tlie most ancient Egyptian monuments, Osiris, the Sun per¬ 
sonified, is represented as Judge of the dead. The Egyptian “ Book 
of the Head,” the oldest Bible in the world, speaks of Osiris as 
“ seeing all things, and hearing all tilings, noting the good and evil 
deeds of men.” 

15. He will come again sitting on a white horse. 

The “second coming” of Vishnu (Crishna), Christ Jesus, and 
other Sun-gods, are also astronomical allegories. The white horse , 


i Origin of Religions, p. 268. 2 Aryan Mythology, vol. i. p. 384. 

3 Origin of Religion, pp. 264-268. 


32 






498 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


which figures so conspicuously in the legend, was the universal sym¬ 
bol of the Sun among Oriental nations. 

Throughout the whole legend, Christ Jesus is the toiling Sun, 
laboring for the benefit of others, not his own, and doing hard serv¬ 
ice for a mean and cruel generation. Watch his sun-like career 
of brilliant conquest, checked with intervals of storm, and declining 
to a death clouded with sorrow and derision. He is in constant 
company with his twelve apostles, the twelve signs of the zodiac . 1 
During the course of his life’s journey he is called “ The God of 
Earthly Blessing,” “ The Saviour through whom a new life springs,” 
“ The Preserver,” “ The Redeemer,” &c. Almost at his birth the 
Serpent of darkness attempts to destroy him. Temptations to sloth 
and luxury are offered him in vain. He has his work to do, and 
nothing can stay him from doing it, as nothing can arrest the Sun 
in his journey through the heavens. Like all other solar heroes, he 
has his faithful women who love him, and the Marys and Martha 
here play the part. Of his toils it is scarcely necessary to speak in 
detail. They are but a thousand variations on the story of the great 
conflict which all the Sun-gods wage against the demon of darkness, 
lie astonishes his tutor when sent to school. This we might expect 
to be the case, when an incomparable and incommunicable wisdom 
is the heritage of the Sun. He also represents the wisdom and be¬ 
neficence of the bright Being who brings life and light to men. As 
the Sun wakens the earth to life when the winter is done, so Crisli- 
11 a, Buddha, Horus, Aesculapius, and Christ Jesus were raisers of 
the dead. When the leaves fell and withered on the approach of 
winter, the “daughter of the earth” would be spoken of as dying 
or dead, and, as no other power than that of the Sun can recall veg¬ 
etation to life, this child of the earth w T ould be represented as 
buried in a sleep from which the touch of the Sun alone could 
rouse her. 

Christ Jesus, then, is the Sun, in his short career and early 
death. He is the child of the Dawn, whose soft, violet hues tint 


1 The number twelve appears in many of 
tb. Sun-myths. It refers to the twelve hours 
of the day or night, or the twelve moons of the 
lunar year. (Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. i. 
p. 105. Bouwick : Egyptian Belief, p. 175.) 

Osiris, the Egyptian Saviour, had twelve 
apostles. (Bonwick, p. 175.) 

In all religions of antiquity the number 
twelve , which applies to the twelve signs of the 
zodiac, are reproduced in all kinds and sorts 
of forms. For instance : such are the twelve 
great gods ; the twelve apostles of Osiris ; the 
twelve apostles of Jesus ; the twelve sons of 


Jacob, or the twelve tribes : the twelve altars 
of James ; the twelve labors of Hercules ; the 
twelve shields of Mars ; the twelve brothers 
Arvaux ; the twelve gods Consents ; the twelve 
governors in the Manichean System; the 
adectyas of the East Indies ; the twelve asses 
of the Scandinavians ; the city of the twelve 
gates in the Apocalypse ; the twelve wards of 
the city ; the twelve sacred cushions, on which 
the Creator sits in the cosmogony of the Jap¬ 
anese ; the twelve precious stones of the rational , 
or the ornament worn by the high priest of the 
Jews, &c., &c. (See Dupuis, pp. 89, 40.) 




EXPLANATION. 


499 


the clouds of early morn ; liis fatlier being the Sky, the “ Heavenly 
Father,” who has looked down with love upon the Dawn, and over¬ 
shadowed her. When his career on earth is ended, and he expires, 
the loving mother, who parted from him in the morning of his life, 
is at his side, looking on the death of the Son whom she cannot 
save from the doom which is on him, while her tears fall on his 
body like rain at sundown. From her he is parted at the begin¬ 
ning of his course; to her he is united at its close. But Christ 
Jesus, like Crishna, Buddha, Osiris, Horus, Mithras, Apollo, Atys 
and others, rises again , and thus the myth takes us a step beyond 
the legend of Serpedon and others, which stop at the end of the 
seastward journey, when the night is done. 

According to the Christian calendar, the birthday of John the 
Baptist is on the day of the summer solstice, when the sun begins 
to decrease. How true to nature then are the w r ords attributed to 
him in the fourth Gospel, when he says that he must decrease , and 
Jesus increase. 

Among the ancient Teutonic nations, fires were lighted, on the 
tops of hills, on the 24th of June, in honor of the wending Sun. 
This custom is still kept up in Southern Germany and the Scotch 
highlands, and it is the day selected by the Homan Catholic church 
to celebrate the nativity of John the Baptist. 1 

Mosheiin, the ecclesiastical historian, speaking of the uncertainty 
of the time when Christ Jesus was born, says: “The uncertainty 
of this point is of no great consequence. We know that the Sun 
of Righteousness has shone upon the world; and although we can¬ 
not fix the precise period in which he arose, this will not preclude 
us from enjoying the direction and influence of his vital and salu¬ 
tary beams.” 

These sacred legends abound with such expressions as can have 
no possible or conceivable application to any other than to the 
“ God of day.” He is “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be 
the glory (or brightness) of his people.” 2 He is come “ a light into 
the world, that whosoever believeth in him should not abide in 
darkness.” 3 He is “ the light of the world.” 4 He “ is light, and in 
him no darkness is.” 5 

“Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, Adonai, and by thy great mercy 
defend us from all perils and dangers of this night.”— Collect, in Evening Service . 

“ God of God, light of light, very God of very God .”—Nicene Creed. 


1 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, p. 505. 

2 Luke, ii. 32. 

3 John, xii. 40. 


4 John, ix. v. 
6 I. John, i. 5. 







500 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


“Merciful Adonai, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy 
Church.”— Collect of St. John. 

“To thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens, and all the powers therein.” 

“ Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory ” (or brightness). 

“ The glorious company of the ( twelve months, or) apostles praise thee.” 

“ Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ!” 

“When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou passest through the con¬ 
stellation, or zodiacal sign—the Virgin.” 

“When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of winter, thou didst open the 
kingdom of heaven (e. e., bring on the reign of the summer months) to all be¬ 
lievers. ” 

“ All are agreed,” says Cicero, “ that Apollo is none other than 
the Sun, because the attributes which are commonly ascribed to 
Apollo do so wonderfully agree thereto.” 

Just so surely as Apollo is the Sun, so is the Lord Christ Jesus 
the Sun. That which is so conclusive respecting the Pagan deities, 
applies also to the God of the Christians; but, like the Psalmist of 
old, they cry, “ Touch not my Christ, and do my prophets no 
harm.” 

Many Christian writers have seen that the history of their Lord 
and Saviour is simply the history of the Sun, but they either say 
nothing, or, like Dr. Parkhurst and the Rev. J. P. Lundy, claim 
that the Sun is a type of the true Sun of Righteousness. Mr. 
Lundy, in his “ Monumental Christianity,” says : 

“Is there no bright Sun of Righteousness— no personal and loving Son of 
God, of idiom the material Sun has been the type or symbol, in all ages and among 
all nations? What power is it that comes from the Sun to give light and heat 
to all created things ? If the symbolical Sun leads such a great earthly and 
heavenly flock, what must be said to the true and only begotten Son of God ? If 
Apollo was adopted by early Christian art as a type of the Good Shepherd of the 
New Testament, then this interpretation of the Sun-god among all nations must be 
the solution of the universal mythos, or what other solution can it have? To what 
other historical personage but Christ can it apply ? If this mythos has no spiritual 
meaning, then all religion becomes mere idolatry, or the worship of material things .” 1 

Mr. Lundy, who seems to adhere to this once-upon-a-time favor¬ 
ite theory, illustrates it as follows: 

“ The young Isaac is his (Christ’s) Hebrew type, bending under the wood, as 
Christ fainted under the cross ; Daniel is his type, stripped of all earthly fame 
and greatness, and cast naked into the deepest danger, shame and humiliation.” 
“Noah is his type, in saving men from utter destruction, and bringing them 
across the sea of death to a new world and a new life.” “ Orpheus is a type of 
Christ. Agni and Crishna of India ; Mithra of Persia ; Ilorus and Apollo of 
Egypt, are all types of Christ.” “ Samson carrying off the gates of Gaza and de¬ 
feating the Philistines by his own death, was considered"as a type of Christ 


1 Monumental Christianity, p. 117. 





EXPLANATION. 


501 


"bursting open and carrying away the gates of Hades, and conquering His and 
our enemies by his death and resurrection .” 1 

According to this theory, the whole Pagan religion was typical 
of Christ and Christianity. Why then were not the Pagans the 
Lord’s chosen people instead of the children of Israel ? 

The early Christians were charged with being a sect of Sun 
worshipers . 2 3 The ancient Egyptians worshiped the god Serapis , 
and Serapis was the Sun. Fig. Ho. 11, page 194, shows the man¬ 
ner in which Serapis was personified. It might easily pass for a 
representation of the Sun-god of the Christians. Mr. King says, in 
his u Gnostics, and their Remains 

“ There can be no doubt that the head of Serapis, marked as the face is by a 
grave and pensive majesty, supplied the first idea for the conventional portraits of 
the Saviour.”* 

The Imperial Russian Collection boasts of a head of Christ 
Jesus which is said to be very ancient. It is a fine intaglio on 
emerald. Mr. King says of it: 

“It is in reality a head of Serapis, seen in front and crowned with Persia 
boughs, easily mistaken for thorns, though the bushel on the head leaves no 
doubt as to the real personage intended .” 4 

It must not be forgotten, in connection with this, that the wor¬ 
shipers of Serapis, or the Sun, were called Christians . 5 

Mrs. Jameson, speaking on this subject, says : 

t 

“ We search in vain for the lightest evidence of his (Christ’s) human, indi¬ 
vidual semblance, in the writing of those disciples who knew him so well. In 
this instance the instincts of earthly affection seem to have been mysteriously 
overruled. He whom all races of men were to call brother, was not to be too 
closely associated with the particular lineaments of any one. St. John, the be¬ 
loved disciple, could lie on the breast of Jesns with all the freedom of fellowship, 
but not even he has left a word to indicate what manner of man was the Divine 
Master after the flesh. . . . Legend has, in various form, supplied this nat¬ 

ural craving, but it is hardly necessary to add, that all accounts of pictures of 
our Lord taken from Himself are without historical foundation. We are there¬ 
fore left to imagine the expression most befitting the character of him who took 
upon himself our likeness, and looked at the woes and sins of mankind through 
the eyes of our mortality .” 6 

The Rev. Mr. Geikie says, in his “ Life of Christ 

“ No hint is given in the New Testament of Christ’s appearance ; and the 
early Church, in the absence of all guiding facts, had to fall back on imagina¬ 
tion.” 


1 See Monumental Christianity, pp. 186, 191, 
192. 238, and 29X 

2 See Bonvvick’s Egyptian Belief, p. 283. 

3 King’s Gnostics, p. 68. 


4 Ibid. p. 137. 

5 See Chapter XX. 

8 llist. of Our Lord in Art, vol. i. p. 31. 





502 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


‘ ‘ In its first years, the Christian church fancied its Lord’s visage and form 
marred more than those of other men ; and that he must have had no attractions 
of personal beauty. Justin Martyr (a. d. 150-160) speaks of him as without 
beauty or attractiveness , and of mean appearance. Clement of Alexandria (a., d. 
200), describes him as of an uninviting appearance, and almost repulsive. Tertullian 
(a. d. 200-210) says he had not even ordinary human beauty, far less heavenly. 
Origen (a. d. 230) went so far as to say that he was ‘ small in body and deformed ,’ 
as well as low-born, and that, ‘ his only beauty was in his soul and life: ” l 

One of the favorite ways finally, of depicting him, was, as Mr. 
Lundy remarks : 

“Under the figure of a beautiful and adorable youth, of about fifteen or 
eighteen years of age, beardless, with a sweet expression of countenance, and 
long and abundant hair flowing in curls over his shoulders. Ilis brow is sometimes 
encircled by a diadem or bandeau, like a young priest of the Pagan gods ; that is, 
in fact, the favorite figure. On sculptured sarcophagi,- in fresco paintings and 
Mosaics, Christ is thus represented as a graceful youth, just as Apollo was figured 
by the Pagans, and as angels are represented by Christians.” 2 

Thus we see that the Christians took the paintings and statues 
of the Sun-gods Serapis and Apollo as models , when they wished 
to represent their Saviour. That the former is the favorite at the 
present day need not be doubted when we glance at Fig. Ko. 11, 
page 194. 

Mr. King, speaking of this god, and his worshipers, says : 

“ There is very good reason to believe that in the East the worship of Serapis 
was at first combined with Christianity, and gradually merged into it with an 
entire change of name, not substance, carrying with it many of its ancient no¬ 
tions and rites.” 3 

Again he says : 

“In the second century the syncretistic sects that had sprung up in Alexan¬ 
dria, the very hotbed of Gnosticism, found out in Serapis a prophetic type of 
Christ, or the Lord and Creator of all.” 4 

The early Christians , or worshipers of the Sun, under the name 
of “Christ” had, as all Sun-worshipers, a peculiar regard to the 
East —the quarter in which their god rose— to which point they 
ordinarily directed their prayers? 

The followers of Mithra always turned towards the East, when 
they worshiped ; the same was done by the Brahmans of the East, 
and the Christians of the West. In the ceremony of baptism, the 
catechumen was placed with his face to the West, the symbolical 
representation of the prince of darkness, in opposition to the 
East, and made to spit towards it at the evil one, and renounce his 
works. 


1 Geikie : Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 151. 

2 Monumental Christianity, p. 231. 

3 King's Gnostics, p. 48. 


4 Ibid. p. 68. 

8 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 13. 





EXPLANATION. 


503 


Tertullian says, that Christians were taken for worshipers of the 
Sun because they prayed towards the East, after the manner of those 
who adored the Sun. The Essenes — whom Eusebius calls Chris¬ 
tians— always turned to the east to pray. The Essenes met once 
a week, and spent the night in singing hymns, &c., which lasted 
till sun-rising. As soon as dawn appeared, they retired to their 
cells, after saluting one another. Pliny says the Christians of 
Bitliynia met before it was light, and sang hymns to Christ, as to a 
God. After their service they saluted one another. Surely the 
circumstances of the two classes of people meeting before daylight, 
is a very remarkable coincidence. It is just what the Persian Magi, 
who were Sun worshipers, were in the habit of doing. 

When a Manielisean Christian came over to the orthodox Chris¬ 
tians, he was required to curse his former friends in the following 
terms : 

“ I curse Zarades (Zoroaster ?) who, Manes said, had appeared as a god 
before his time among the Indians and Persians, and whom he calls the Sun. 
I curse those who say Christ is the Sun, and who make prayers to the Sun, and 
who do not pray to the true God, only towards the East, but who turn themselves 
round, following the motions of the Sun with their innumerable supplications. 
/ curse those person who say that Zarades and Budas and Christ and the Sun are 
all one and the same” 

There are not many circumstances more striking than that of 
Christ Jesus being originally worshiped under the form of a Lamb 
— the actual “ Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the 
world.” As we have already seen (in Chap. XX.), it was not till 
the Council of Constantinople, called In Trullo , held so late as the 
year TOT, that pictures of Christ Jesus were ordered to be drawn 
in the form of a man. It was ordained that, in the place of the fig¬ 
ure of a Lamb, the symbol used to that time, the figure of a man 
nailed to a cross, should in future be used. 1 From this decree, the 
identity of the worship of the Celestial Lamb and the Christian 
Saviour is certified beyond the possibility of doubt, and the mode 
by which the ancient superstitions were propagated is satisfactorily 
shown. Nothing can more clearly prove the general practice than 
the order of a council to regulate it. 

The worship of the constellation of Aries was the worship of 
the Sun in his passage through that sign. “ This constellation was 


1 Following are the words of the decree 
now in the Vatican library: “In quibusdam 
sanctorum imaginum picturis agnus exprimitur, 
&c. Nos igitur vcteres figuras atque umbras, 
et veritatis notas, et signa ecclesiae tradita, 
complectentes, gratiam, et veritatem auteponi- 


mus, quam ut plenitudinem legis acceptimus. 
Itaque id quod perfectum est, in picturis etiam 
omnium oculis subjiciamus, agnum ilium qui 
mundi peccatum tollit, Christum Deum nos¬ 
trum, loco veteris Ayni, hunmna forma posthae 
exprimendum decrevimus," <fcc. 



504 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


called by the ancients the Lamb of God. He was also called the 
Saviour , and was said to save mankind from their sins. He was 
always honored with the appellation of Dominus or Lord. He was 
called The Lamb of God which taheth away the sins of the world. 
The devotees addressed him in their litany, constantly repeating the 
words, ‘ 0 Lamb of God , that taheth away the sins of the world, 
have mercy upon us. Grant us thy peace? ” 

On an ancient medal of the l J henicians , brought by Hr. Clark 
from Citium (and described in his “ Travels,” vol. ii. ch. xi.) this 
Lamb of God is described with the Cross and the Bosary, which 
shows that they were both used in his worship. 

Yearly the Sun-god, as the zodiacal horse (Aries) was supposed 
by the Yedic Aryans to die to save all flesh. Hence the practice 
of sacrificing horses. The “guardian spirits” of the prince Sakya 
Buddha sing the following hymn : 

‘ ‘ Once when thou wast the white horse , 1 
In pity for the suffering of man, 

Thou didst fly across heaven to the region of the evil demons, 

To secure the happiness of mankind. 

Persecutions without end, 

Itevilings and many prisons, 

Death and murder ; 

These hast thou suffered with love and patience, 

Forgiving thine executioners,”' 2 

We have seen, in Chapter XXXIII., that Christ Jesus was also 
symbolized as a Fish , and that it is to be seen on all the ancient 
Christian monuments. But what has the Christian Saviour to do 
with a Fish f Why was he called a Fish ? The answer is, because 
the fish was another emblem of the Sun. Abarbanel says : 

“The sign of his (Christ’s) coming is the junction of Saturn and Jupiter, in 

the Sign Pisces.” 3 

Applying the astronomical emblem of Pisces to Jesus, does not 
seem more absurd than applying the astronomical emblem of the 
Lamb. They applied to him the monogram of the Sun, IHS, the 
astronomical and alchemical sign of Aries, or the ram, or Lamb T ; 
and, in short, what was there that was Lleatlienish that they have 
not applied to him ? 

The preserving god Yishnu, the Sun, was represented as a fish, 
and so was the Syrian Sun-god Bagon, who was also a Preserver or 
Saviour. The Fish was sacred among many nations of antiquity, 

1 “ The solar horse, with two serpents upon p. no.) 
liis head (the Buddhist Aries) is Buddha’s sym- 2 Quoted by Lillie : Buddha and Early Budd- 

bol, and Aries is the symbol of Christ.” hism, p. 93 . 

(Arthur Lillie : Buddha and Early Buddhism, 3 Quoted by King : The Gnostics &c d 138 





EXPLANATION. 


505 


and is to be seen on their monuments. Tims we see that every¬ 
thing at last centres in the Sun. ♦ 

Constantine, the first Christian emperor, had on his coins the 
figure of the Sun, with the legend: “ To the Invincible Sun, my 
companion and guardian,” as being a representation, says Mr. King, 
u either of the ancient Phoebus, or the new Sun of Righteousness , 
equally acceptable to both Christian and Gentile, from the double 
interpretation of which the type was susceptible.” 1 2 

The worship of the Sun, under the name of Mitlira, “ long sur¬ 
vived in Pome, under the Christian emjperors , 
and, doubtless, much longer in the remoter dis¬ 
tricts of the semi-indepenaent provinces.” 3 

Christ Jesus is represented with a halo of 
glory surrounding his head, a florid complexion, 
long golden locks of hair, and a flowing robe. 

Now, all Sun-gods, from Crishna of India (Pig. 

No. 41) to Baldur of Scandinavia, are repre¬ 
sented with a halo of glory surrounding their 
heads, and the flowing locks of golden hair, and 
the flowing robe, are not wanting. 3 By a process of metaphor, the rays 



1 Quoted by King : The Gnostics, &c.,p. 49. 

2 Ibid. p. 45. 

3 Indra , the crucified Snn-god of the Hin¬ 
doos, was represented with golden locks. 
(Cox : Aryan Myths. vol, i. p. 341.) 

Mithras , the Persian Saviour, was repre¬ 
sented with long flowing locks. 

Izdubar, the god and hero of the Chaldeans, 
was represented with long flowing locks cf 
hair (Smith : Chaldean Account of Genesis, 
p. 1S3), and so was his counterpart, the Hebrew 
Samson. 

“ The Sakya-prince (Buddha) is described 
as an Aryan by Buddhistic tradition ; his face 
was reddish, his hair of light color and curly, 
his general appearance of great beauty.” 
(Bunsen : The Angel-Messiah, p. 15.) 

“ Serapis has, in some instances, long hair 
formally turned back, and disposed in ringlets 
hanging down upon his breast and shoulders 
like that of a woman. His whole person, too, 
is always enveloped in drapery reaching to his 
feet.” (Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, 
p. 104.) 

“As for yellow hair, there is no evidence 
that Greeks have ever commonly possessed it; 
but no other color would do for a solar hero, 
and it accordingly characterizes the entire 
company of them, wherever found.” (Fiske : 
Myths and Mythmakers, p. 202.) 

Helios (the Sun) is called by the Greeks the 
“yellow-haired.” (Goldzhier : HebrewMytho., 
p. 137.) 

The Sun’s rays is signified by the flowing 


golden locks which stream from the head of 
Keplialos, and fall over the shoulders of Bel- 
lerphon. (Cox: Aryan Mytho., vol. i. p. 
107.) 

Perseus, son of the virgin Danae, was called 
the “ Golden Child.” (Ibid. vol. ii. p. 58.) 
“ The light of early morning is not more pure 
than was the color on his fair cheeks, and the 
golden locks streamed bright over his shoul¬ 
ders, like the rays of the sun when they rest on 
the hills at midday.” (Tales of Ancient 
Greece, p. 83.) 

The Saviour Dionysus wore a long flowing 
robe, and had long golden hair, which streamed 
from his head over his shoulders. (Aryan 
Mythology, vol. ii. p. 293.) 

Ixion was the “Beautiful and Mighty.” 
with golden hair flashing a glory from his head, 
dazzling as the rays which stream from Helios, 
when he drives his chariot up the heights of 
heaven ; and his flowing robe glistened as he 
moved, like the vesture which the Sun-god 
gave to the wise maiden Medeia, who dwelt in 
Kolchis. (Tales of Ancient Greece, p. 47.) 

Theseus enters the city of Athens, as Christ 
Jesus is said to have entered Jerusalem, with a 
long flowing robe, and with his golden hair tied 
gracefully behind his head. His “ soft beauty ” 
excites the mockery of the populace, who 
pause in their work to jest with him. (Cox : 
Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. G3.) 

Thus we see that long locks of golden hair, 
and a flowing robe, are mythological attributes 
of the Sun. 




506 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


of the Sun were changed into golden hair, into spears and lances, 
and robes of light. From the shoulders of Phoibus Lykegenes, the 
liglit-born, flow the sacred locks over which no razor might pass. 
On the head of Kisos, as on that of Samson, they became a palla¬ 
dium invested with a mysterious power. From Helios, the Sun, 
who can scorch as well as warm, comes the robe of Medeia, which 
appears in the poisoned garments of Deianeira. 1 2 * 

We see, then, that Christ Jesus, like Christ Buddha, 8 Crishna, 
Mithra, Osiris, Horus, Apollo, Hercules and others, is none other 
than a personification of the Sun, and that the Christians, like their 
predecessors the Pagans, are really Sun worshipers. It must not 
be inferred, however, that we advocate the theory that no such per¬ 
son as Jesus of Nazareth ever lived in the flesh. The man Jesus 
is evidently an historical personage, just as the Sakaya prince 
Buddha, Cyrus, King of Persia, and Alexander, King of Macedonia, 
are historical personages; but the Christ Jesus, the Christ Buddha, 
the mythical Cyrus, and the mythical Alexander, never lived in the 
flesh. The Sun-myth lias been added to the histories of these per¬ 
sonages, in a greater or less degree, just as it has been added to the 
history of many other real personages. If it be urged that the 
attribution to Christ Jesus of qualities or powers belonging to the 
Pagan deities would hardly seem reasonable, the answer must be 
that nothing is done in his case which has not been done in the 
case of almost every other member of the great company of the 
gods. The tendency of myths to reproduce themselves , with differ¬ 
ences only of names and local coloring , becomes especially mani¬ 
fest after perusing the legendary histories of the gods of antiquity. 
It is a fact demonstrated by history, that when one nation of an¬ 
tiquity came in contact with another, they adopted each others 
myths without hesitation . After the Jews had been taken captives 
to Babylon, around the history of their King Solomon accumulated 
the fables which were related of Persian heroes. When the fame 
of Cyrus and Alexander became known over the then known world, 
the popular Sun-myth was interwoven with their true history. The 
mythical history of Perseus is, in all its essential features, the his¬ 
tory of the Attic hero Theseus, and of the Theban (Edipus, and 
they all reappear with heightened colors in the myths of Hercules. 
We have the same thing again in the mythical and religious history 
of Crishna; it is, in nearly all its essential features, the history of 

1 Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. i. p. 49. “ Anointed,” or the “ Messiah,” and that many 

2 We have already seen (in Chapter XX.) other personages beside Jesus of Nazareth had 

that the word “ Christ ” signifies the this title affixed to their names. 




EXPLANATION. 


507 


Buddha, and reappears again, with heightened colors, in the history 
of Christ Jesus. The myths of Buddha and Jesus differ from the 
legends of the other virgin-born Saviours only in the fact that in 
their cases it has gathered round unquestionably historical person¬ 
ages. In other words, an old myth has been added to names un¬ 
doubtedly historical. But it cannot be too often repeated that from 
the myth we learn nothing of their history. IIow much we really 
know of the man Jesus will be considered in our next, and last, 
chapter. 1 That his biography, as recorded in the books of the New 
Testament, contains some few grains of actual history, is all that 
the historian or philosopher can rationally venture to urge. But 
the very process which has stripped these legends of all value as a 
chronicle of actual events has invested them with a new interest. 
Less than ever are they worthless fictions which the historian or 
philosopher may afford to despise. These legends of the birth, life, 
and death of the Sun, present to us a form of society and a condi¬ 
tion of thought through which all mankind had to pass before the 
dawn of history. Yet that state of things was as real as the time 
in which we live. They who spoke the language of these early 
tales were men and women with joys and sorrows not unlike our 
own. In the following verses of Martianus Capella, the universal 
veneration for the Sun is clearly shown : 

“ Latium invokes thee, Sol, because thou alone art in honor, after the Father , 
the centre of light ; and they affirm that thy sacred head bears a golden bright¬ 
ness in twelve rays, because thou formest that number of months and that num¬ 
ber of hours. They say that thou guidest four winged steeds, because thou 
alone rulest the chariot of the elements. For, dispelling the darkness, thou re- 
vealest the shining heavens. Hence they esteem thee, Phoebus, the discoverer of 
the secrets of the future ; or, because thou preventest nocturnal crimes. Egypt 
worships thee as Serapis, and Memphis as Osiris. Thou art worshiped by dif¬ 
ferent rites as Mithra, Dis, and the cruel Typhon. Thou art alone the beautiful 
Atys, and the fostering son of the bent plough. Thou art the Ammon of arid 
Libya, and the Adonis of Byblos. Thus under a varied appelation the whole world 
worship thee. Idail! thou true image of the gods, and of thy father’s face ! thou 
whose sacred name, surname, and omen, three letters make to agree with the 
number 60S. -2 Grant us, oh Father, to reach the eternal intercourse of mind, 
and to know the starry heaven under this sacred name. May the great and uni¬ 
versally adorable Father increase these his favors.” 


1 The theory which has been set forth in 
this chapter, is also more fully illustrated in 
Appendix C. 

a These three letters, the monogram of the 


Sun , are the celebrated I. S. H., which are to be 
seen in Roman Catholic churches at the present 
day, and which are now the monogram of the 
Sun-god Christ Jesus. (See Chapter XXXVI.) 





CHAPTER XL. 


CONCLUSION. 

We now come to the last, but certainly not least, question to be 
answered ; which is, what do we really know of the man Jesus of 
Nazareth ? How much of the Gospel narratives can we rely upon 
as fact ? 

Jesus of Nazareth is so enveloped in the mists of the past, and 
his history so obscured by legend, that it may be compared to 
footprints in the sand. We know some one has been there, but as 
to what manner of man he may have been, we certainly know little 
as fact. The Gospels, the only records we hare of him ,* have been 
proven, over and over again, unhistorical and legendary; to state 
anything as positive about the man is nothing more nor less than 
assumption • we can therefore conjecture only. Liberal writers phil¬ 
osophize and wax eloquent to little purpose, when, after demolish¬ 
ing the historical accuracy of the New Testament, they.end their 
task by eulogizing the man Jesus, claiming for him the highest 
praise, and asserting that he was the best and grandest of our race ; a 
but this manner of reasoning (undoubtedly consoling to man y) facts 
do not warrant. We may consistently revere his name, and place 
it in the long list of the great and noble, the reformers and religious 
teachers of the past, all of whom have done their part in bringing 
about the freedom we now enjoy, but to go beyond this, is, to our 
thinking, unwarranted. 

If the life of Jesus of Nazareth, as related in the books of the 
New Testament, be in part the story of a man who really lived and 
suffered, that story has been so interwoven with images borrowed 


1 “ For knowledge of the man Jesus, of his 
idea and his aims, and of the outward form of 
his career, the New Testament is our only hope. 
If this hope fails, the pillared firmament of his 
starry fame is rottenness ; the base of Christi¬ 
anity, so far as it was personal and individual, 
is built on stubble.” (John W. Chadwick.) 

2 M. Renan, after declaring Jesus to be a 
“fanatic," and admitting that, “ his friends 

508 


thought him, at moments, beside himself 
and that, “his enemies declared him possessed 
by a devil,” says : “The man here delineated 
merits a place at the summit of human gran¬ 
deur.” “This is the Supreme man, a sublime 
personage;” “to call him divine is no exag¬ 
geration.” Other liberal writers have written 
in the same strain. 


i 

\ 






CONCLUSION. 


509 • 


from myths of a bygone age, as to conceal forever any fragments 
of history which may lie beneath them. Gautama Buddha was un¬ 
doubtedly an historical personage, yet the Sun-god myth has been 
added to his history to such an extent that we really know nothing 
positive about him. Alexander the Great was an historical person- 
age, yet his history is one mass of legends. So it is with Julius 
Cesar, Cyrus, King of Persia, and scores of others. “ The story of 
Cyrus’ perils in infancy belongs to solar mythology as much as the 
stories of the magic slipper, of Charlemagne and Barbarossa. His 
grandfather, Astyages, is purely a mythical creation, his name being 
identical with that of the night demon, Azidahaka, who appears in 
the Shah-Nameh as the biting serpent.” 

The actual Jesus is inaccessible to scientific research. TIis image 
cannot be recovered. lie left no memorial in writing of himself; 
his followers were illiterate; the mind of liis age was confused. 
Paul received only traditions of him, how definite we have no means 
of knowing, apparently not significant enough to be treasured, nor 
consistent enough to oppose a barrier to his own speculations. As 
M. Penan says : “ The Christ who communicates private revelations 
to him is a phantom of his own making /” “it is himself he listens 
to, while fancying that he hears Jesus”' 

In studying the writings of the early advocates of Christianity, 
and Fathers of the Christian Church, where we would naturally look 
for the language that would indicate the real occurrence of the facts 
of the Gospel — if real occurrences they had ever been—we not 
only find no such language, but everywhere find every sort of 
sophistical ambages, ramblings from the subject, and evasions of 
the very business before them, as if on purpose to balk our research, 
and insult our skepticism. If we travel to the very sepulchre of 
Christ Jesus, it is only to discover that he was never there: history 
seeks evidence of his existence as a man, but finds no more trace of 
it than of the shadow that flits across the wall. “ The Star of 
Bethlehem ” shone not upon her path, and the order of the universe 
was suspended without her observation. 

She asks, with the Magi of the East, “ Where is he that is born 
King of the Jews?” and, like them, finds no solution of her in¬ 
quiry, but the guidance that guides as well to one place as another ; 
descriptions that apply to Aesculapius, Buddha and Crishna, as well 


i “ The Christ of Paul was not u person, evolved from his own feeling and imagination, 
but an idea; he took no pains to learn the facts and taking on new powers and attributes from 

about the individual Jesus. He actually year to year to suit each new emergency.” 

boasted that the Apostles had taught him (John W. Chadwick.) 
nothing. His Christ was an ideal conception, 




BIBLE MYTHS. 


510 


as to Jesus ; prophecies, without evidence that they were ever 
prophesied ; miracles, which those who are said to have seen, are 
said also to have denied seeing; narratives without authorities, facts 
without dates, and records without names. In vain do the so-called 
disciples of Jesus point to the passages in Josephus and Tacitus;' 
in vain do they point to the spot on which he was crucified; to the 
fragments of the true cross, or the nails with which he was pierced, 
and to the tomb in which he was laid. Others have done as much 
for scores of mythological personages who never lived in the flesh. 
Did not Damis, the beloved disciple of Apollonius of Tyana, while 
on his way to India, see, on Mt. Caucasus, the identical chains with 
which Prometheus had been bound to the rocks ? Did not the 
Scythians 1 2 3 4 say that Hercules had visited their country ? and did 
they not show the print of his foot upon a rock to substantiate their 
story V Was not his tomb to be seen at Cadiz, where his bones were 
shown?* Was not the tomb of Bacchus to be seen in Greece? 5 
Was not the tomb of Apollo to be seen at Delphi? 6 Was not the 
tomb of Achilles to be seen at Dodona, where Alexander the Great 
honored it by placing a crown upon it V Was not the tomb of iEs- 
culapius to be seen in Arcadia, in a grove consecrated to him, near 
the river Lusius ? 8 Was not the tomb of Deucalion—he who was 
saved from the Deluge—long pointed out near the sanctuary of 
Olympian Jove, in Athens? 9 Was not the tomb of Osiris to be 
seen in Egypt, where, at stated seasons, the priests went in solemn 
procession, and covered it with flowers? 10 Was not the tomb of 
Jonah—he who was “swallowed up by a big fish”—to be seen at 
Nebi-Yunus, near Mosul ? n Are not the tombs of Adam, Eve, Cain, 
Abel, Seth, Abraham, and other Old Testament characters, to be 
seen even at the present day ?' 2 And did not the Emperor Constan¬ 
tine dedicate a beautiful church over the tomb of St. George, the 
warrior saint ? 13 Of what value, then, is such evidence of the exist¬ 
ence of such an individual as Jesus of Nazareth ? The fact is, “ the 
records of his life are so very scanty, and these have been so s haped 
and colored and modified by the hands of ignorance and supers tition 


1 This subject is considered in Appendix D. 

2 Scythia was a name employed in ancient 
times, to denote a vast, indefinite, and almost 
unknown territory nqrth and east of the Black 
Sea, the Caspian, and the Sea of Aral. 

3 Sec Herodotus, book 4, ch. 82. 

4 See Dupuis, p. 264. 

6 See Knight’s Anct. Art and Mythology, p. 

86, and Mysteries of Adoni, p. 90 


6 See Dupuis, p. 264. 

7 See Bell’s Pantheon, vol. i. p. 7. 

8 See Ibid. vol. i. p. 27. 

9 Ibid. 

10 Ibid. vol. i. p. 2, and Bonwick, p. 153. 

11 See Chambers, art. “Jonah.” 

12 See Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 152, and 
Goklzhier, p. 280. 

13 See Curious Myths, p. 264. 



CONCLUSION. 


511 


and party prejudice and ecclesiastical purpose, that it is hard to be 
sure of the original outlines.” 

In the first two centuries the professors of Christianity were di¬ 
vided into many sects, but these might be all resolved into two 
divisions—one consisting of Xazarenes, Ebionites, and orthodox ; 
the other of Gnostics , under which all the remaining sects arranged 
themselves. The former are supposed to have believed in Jesus 
crucified, in the common, literal acceptation of the term ; the latter 
—believers in the Christ as an JEon —though they admitted the 
crucifixion, considered it to have been in some mystic way—per¬ 
haps what might be called sjpiritualiter , as it is called in the Revela¬ 
tion : but notwithstanding the different opinions they held, they all 
denied that the Christ did really die, in the literal acceptation of the 
term, on the cross. 1 The Gnostic, or Oriental, Christians undoubt¬ 
edly took their doctrine from the Indian crucifixion? (of which we 
have treated in Chapters XX. and XXXIX.), as well as many other 
tenets with which we have found the Christian Church deeply 
tainted. They held that: 

“ To deliver the soul, a captive in darkness, the ‘ Prince of Light,’ the ‘ Genius 
of the Sun,’ charged with the redemption of the intellectual world, of which the 
Sun is the type, manifested itself among men ; that the light appeared in the 
darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not ; that, in fact, light could not 
unite with darkness ; it put on only the appearance of the human body ; that at 
the crucifixion Christ Jesus only appeared to suffer. His person having disap¬ 
peared, the bystanders saw in his place a cross of light, over which a celestial 
voice proclaimed these words ; ‘ The Cross of Light is called Logos, Christos, 
the Gate, the Joy.’ ” 

Several of the texts of the Gospel histories were quoted with 
great plausibility by the Gnostics in support of their doctrine. The 
story of Jesus passing through the midst of the Jews when they 
were about to cast him headlong from the brow of a hill (Luke iv. 
29, 30), and when they were going to stone him (John iii. 59; x. 31, 
39), w r ere examples not easily refuted. 

The Manichean Christian Bishop Faustus expresses himself in 
the following manner: 

“ Do you receive the gospel ? (ask ye). Undoubtedly I do ! Why then, 


i “Whilst, in one part of the Christian 
world, the chief objects of interest were the 
human nature and human life of Jesus, in an¬ 
other part of the Christian world the views 
taken of his person because so idealistic , that 
his humanity was reduced to a phantom without 
reality. The various Gnostic systems generally 
agreed in saying that the Christ was an yfi'on, 
the redeemer of the spirits of men, and that 


he had little or no contact with their corporeal 
nature.” (A. Reville : Hist, of the Dogma of 
the Deity of Jesus.) 

2 Epiphanius says that there were twenty 
heresies before Christ, and there can be no 
doubt that there is much truth in the observa¬ 
tion, for most of the rites and doctrines of the 
Christians of all sects existed before the time 
of Jesus of Nazareth. 





512 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


you also admit that Christ was born ? Not so ; for it by no means follows that 
in believing the gospel, I should therefore believe that Christ was born ! Do 
you then think that he was of the Virgin Mary ? Manes hath said, ‘ Far be it 
that I should ever own that Our Lord Jesus Christ.’ ” etc. 1 

Tertullian’s manner of reasoning on the evidences of Christi¬ 
anity is also in the same vein, as we saw in our last chapter. 2 

Mr. King, speaking of the Gnostic Christians, says : 

“ Tlieir chief doctrines had been held for centuries before (their time) in many 
of the cities in Asia Minor. There, it is probable, they first came into existence 
as Mystce, upon the establishment of direct intercourse with India, under the Se- 
leucidte and Ptolemies. The college of Essenes and Megabyzce at Ephesus, the 
Ophites of Thrace, the Cuvets of Crete, are all merely branches of one antique and 
common religion, and that originally Asiatic .” 3 

These early Christian Mystics are alluded to in several instances 
in the New Testament. For example : 

“Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God ; 
and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not 
of God.” 4 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that 
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.” 5 


This is language that could not have been used, if the reality of 
Christ Jesus’ existence as a man could not have been denied, or, it 
would certainly seem, if the apostle himself had been able to give 
any evidence whatever of the claim. 

The quarrels on this subject lasted for a long time among the 
early Christians. Hermes , speaking-of this, says to the brethren : 

“ Take heed, my children; that your dissensions deprive you not of your lives. 
How will ye instruct the elect of God, when ye yourselves want correction ? 
Wherefore admonish one another, and be at peace among yourselves ; that I, 
standing before your father, may give an account of you unto the Lord.” 6 

Ignatius , in his Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, says : 7 

“ Only in the name of Jesus Christ, I undergo all, to suffer together with 
him ; he who was made a perfect man strengthening me. Whom some, not 
knowing , do deny ; or rather have been denied by him, being the advocates of 
death, rather than of the truth. Whom neither the prophecies, nor the law of 
Moses, have persuaded ; nor the Gospel itself even to this day, nor the sufferings 


1 “ Accipis avengelium ? et maxime. Pro- 
inde ergo et natum accipis Christum. Non ita 
est. Neque enim sequitur ut si evangelium 
accipio, idcirco et natum accipiam Christum. 
Ergo non putas eum ex Maria Virgine esse ? 
Manes dixit, Absit ut Dominum nostrum Jesum 
Christum per naturalia pudenda mulieris de 
scendisse conlitear.” (Gardner’s Works, vol. 
iv. p. 20.) 

2 “I maintain,” says he, “that the Son of 

God was born: why am I not ashamed of main¬ 

taining such a thing ? Why 1 because it is 


itself a shameful thing—I maintain that the Son 
of God died: well, that is wholly credible be¬ 
cause it is monstrously absurd. I maintain 
that after having been buried, he rose again: 
and that I take to be absolutely true, because 
it ivas manifestly impossible." 

3 King’s Gnostics, p. 1. 

4 I. John, iv. 2, 3. 

5 II. John, 7. 

6 1st Book Hermes : Apoc., cli. iii. 

7 Chapter II. 






CONCLUSION, 


513 


of any one of us. For they think also the same thing of us ; for what does a man 
profit‘me, if he shall praise me, and blaspheme my Lord ; not confessing that he 
was truly made man ? ” 

In his Epistle to the Philadelphians he says :* 

“I have heard of some who say. unless 1 find it written in the originals, I will 
not believe it to be written in the Gospel. And when I said, It is written, they 
answered what lay before them in their corrupted copies.” 

Polycarp , in his Epistle to the Philippians, says : a 

“ Whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, he is 
Antichrist : and whosoever does not confess his sufferings upon the cross, is from 
the devil. And whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts ; 
and says that there shall neither be any resurrection, nor judgment, he is the 
first-born of Satan.” 

Ignatius says to the Magnesians : s 

“Be not deceived with strange doctrines ; nor with old fables wdiicli are un¬ 
profitable. For if we still continue to live according to the Jewish law, we do 
confess ourselves not to have received grace. For even the most holy prophets 
lived according to Jesus Christ. . . . Wherefore if they who were brought up 
in these ancient laws came nevertheless to the newness of hope ; no longer ob¬ 
serving Sabbaths, but keeping the Lord’s Day, in which also our life is sprung up 
by him, and through his death, whom yet some deny. By which mystery we have 
been brought to believe, and therefore wait that we may be found the disciples. 

of Jesus Christ, our only master.These things, my beloved, I. write 

unto you, not that I know of any among you that be under this error ; but as one 
of the least among you, I am desirous to forewarn you that ye fall not into the 
snares of vain doctrine.” 

After reading this we can say with the writer of Timothy, 4 
“ Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.” 

Beside those who denied that Christ Jesus had ever been mani¬ 
fest in the flesh , there were others who denied that he had been 
crucified. 5 This is seen from the words of Justin Martyr, in his 
Apology for the Christian Religion, written a. d. 141, where he 
says : 

“As to the objection to our Jesus’s being crucified, I say, suffering was com¬ 
mon to all the Sons of Jove.’’ 6 

This is as much as to say: “ You Pagans claim that your incar¬ 
nate gods and Saviours suffered and died, then why should not we 
claim the same for our Saviour?” 


» Chapter II. 2 Chapter III. 

3 Chapter III. 

4 I. Timothy, iii. 16. 

5 Iremetis, speaking of them, says : “ They 
hold that men ought not to confess him who 
was crucified , hut him who came in the form 
of man, and was supposed to be crucified , and 
was called Jesus.” (See Lardner : vol. viii. p. 

33 


353.) They could not conceive of “the first- 
begotten Son of God ” being put to death on 
a cross, and suffering like an ordinary being, 
so they thought Simon of Cyrene must have 
been substituted for him, as the ram was 
substituted in the place of Isaac. (See Ibid, 
p. 357.) 

6 Quoted in Taylor's Diegesis, p. 316. 





514 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


The Koran , referring to the Jews , says : 

“They have not believed in Jesus, and have spoken against Mary a grievous 
calumny, and have said : ‘ Verily we have slain Christ Jesus, the son of Mary ’ 
(the apostle of God). Yet they slew him not, neither crucified him, but he teas rep¬ 
resented by one in his likeness. And verily they who disagreed concerning him w^re 
in a doubt as to this matter, and had no sure knowledge thereof, but followed only an 
uncertain opinion.” 1 

This passage alone, from the Mohammedan Bible, is sufficient 
to show, if other evidence were wanting, that the early Christians 
“disagreed concerning him,” and that “ they had no sure knowledge 
thereof, but followed only an uncertain opinion.” 

In the books which are now called Apocryphal , but which were 
the most quoted, and of equal authority with the others, and which 
were voted not the word of God—for obvious reasons—and were 
therefore cast out of the canon, we find many allusions to the strife 
among the early Christians. For instance ; in the “ First Epistle 
of Clement to the Corinthians,” 2 we read as follows : 

“ Wherefore are there strifes, and anger, and divisions, and schisms, and 
wars, among us ? . . . Why do we rend and tear in pieces the members of 
Christ, and raise seditions against our own body ? and are come to such a height 
of madness, as to forget that we are members one of another.” 

In his Epistle to the Trallians, Ignatius says : 3 

“I exhort you, or rather not I, but the love of Jesus Christ, that ye use 
none but Christian nourishment ; abstaining from pasture w r hich is of another 
kind. I mean Heresy. For they that are heretics, confound together the doc¬ 
trine of Jesus Christ with their own poison ; whilst they seem w r orthy of belief. 

. . . Stop your ears, therefore, as often as any one shall speak contrary to 

Jesus Christ, who was of the race of David, of the Virgin Mary. Who w'as truly 
born, and did eat and drink; was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; was 
truly crucified and dead; both those in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, 
being spectators of it. . . . But if, as some who are atheists, that is to say, 

infidels, pretend, that he only seemed to suffer, w T hy then am I bound ? Why do I 
desire to fight with beasts ? Therefore do I die in vain.” 

We find St. Paul, tlie very first Apostle of the Gentiles, ex¬ 
pressly avowing that he was made a minister of the gospel , which 
had already been preached to every creature under heaven , 4 and 
preaching a God manifest in the flesh , who had been believed on 
in the world* therefore, before the commencement of his ministry ; 
and who could not have been the man of Nazareth, who had cer¬ 
tainly not been preached, at that time , nor generally believed on in 
the world, till ages after that time. 6 We find also that: 

... ‘ ‘.' * -- 


> Koran, ch. iv. 
8 Chapter XX. 

3 Chapter II. 


♦ Col. i. 23. 

6 I. Timothy, iii. 16. 

* The authenticity of these Epistles has, 





CONCLUSION. 


515 


1. This Paul owns himself a deacon , the lowest ecclesiastical 
grade of the Therapeutan church. 

2. The Gospel of which these Epistles speak, had been ex¬ 
tensively preached and fully established before the time of Jesus, 
by the Therapeuts or Essenes, who believed in the doctrine of the 
Angel-Messiah, the ^Eon from heaven. 1 

Leo the Great, so-called (a. d. 440-461), writes thus: 

“ Let those who with impious murmurings find fault with the Divine dispen¬ 
sations, and who complain about the lateness of our Lord’s nativity, cease from 
their grievances, as if what was carried out in later ages of the world, had not 
been impending in time past. . . . 

“ What the Apostles preached, the prophets (in Israel) had announced before, 
and what has always been {universally) believed, cannot be said to have been ful¬ 
filled too late. By this delay of his work of salvation, the wisdom aud love of 
God have only made us more fitted for his call ; so that, what had been announced 
before by many Signs and Words and Mysteries during so many centuries . should 
not be doubtful or uncertain in the days of the gospel. . . God has not pro¬ 

vided for the interests of men by a new council or by a late compassion ; but he 
had instituted from the beginning for all men, one and the same path of sal¬ 
vation’" 1 

This is equivalent to saying that, “ God, in his ‘ late compassion ,’ 
has sent his Son, Christ Jesus, to save us , therefore do not com¬ 
plain or ‘ murmur ’ about ‘ the lateness of his coming,’ for the Lord 
has already provided for those who preceded us; he has given them 
‘ the same path of salvation’ by sending to them , as he has sent to 
us, a Redeemer and a Saviour .” 

Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Typhon, makes a similar 
confession (as we have already seen in our last chapter), wherein he 
says that there exists not a people, civilized or semi-civilized, who 
have not offered up prayers in the name of a crucified Saviour to 
the Father and Creator of all things. 3 

Add to this medley the fact that St. Irenseus (a. d. 192), one of 
the most celebrated, most respected, and most quoted of the early 
Christian Fathers, tells us on the authority of his master, Poly carp, 
who had it from St. John himself, and from all the old people of 
Asia, that Jesus was not crucified at the time stated in the Gospels, 
but that he lived to be nearly fifty years old. The passage which, 
most fortunately, has escaped the destroyers of all such evidence, is 
quoted in full by Godfrey Higgins, in his Anacalypsis , 4 of which 
the following is a portion: 


been freely questioned, even by the most con¬ 
servative critics. 

1 See Bunsen’s Angel-Messiah, and Chapter 
XXXVII., this work. 


2 Quoted by Max Muller: The Science of 
Relig., p. 228. 

3 Quoted by Gibbon, vol. i. p. 582. 

* Vol. ii. p. 121. See also, Bunsen : Keys 
of St. Peter, p. 328. 




516 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


“As the chief part of thirty years belongs to 3 r outh, and every one will confess 
him to be such till the fortieth year: but from the fortieth year to the fiftieth he 
declines into old age, which our Lord (Jesus) having attained he taught us the Gos¬ 
pel, and all the elders who, in Asia, assembled with John, the disciple of the Lord, 
testify ; and as John himself had taught them. And he (John ?) remained with 
them till the time of Trajan. And some of them saw not only John but other 
Apostles, and heard the same thing from them, and bear the same testimony to this 
revelation. ” 

The escape of this passage from the destroyers can be accounted 
for only in the same way as the passage of Minutius Felix (quoted 
in Chapter XX.) concerning the Pagans worshiping a crucifix. 
These two passages escaped from among, probably, hundreds de¬ 
stroyed, of which we know nothing, under the decrees of the em¬ 
perors, yet remaining, by which they were ordered to be destroyed. 

In John viii. 56, Jesus is made to say to the Jews: “ Your 
father Abraham rejoiced to see my day : and he saw it and was 
glad.” Then said the Jews unto him : “ Thou art not yet fifty 
years old, and hast thou seen Abraham ?” 

If Jesus was then but about thirty years of age, the Jews would 
evidently have said : “thou art not yet forty years old,” and would 
not have been likely to say: “ thou art not yet fifty years old,” 
unless he was past forty. 

There was a tradition current among the early Christians, that 
Annas was high-priest when Jesus was crucified. This is evident 
from the Acts. 1 2 Xow, Annas, or Ananias, was not high-priest un¬ 
til about the year 4S a. d. ; a therefore, if Jesus was crucified at that 
time he must have been about fifty years of age ; 3 but, as we re¬ 
marked elsewhere, there exists, outside of the New Testament, no 
^ d e c , t) oolv, inscription, or monument, that Jesus 

of Xazareth was either scourged or crucified under Pontius Pilate. 
Josephus, Tacitus, Plinius, Philo, nor any of their contemporaries, 
ever refer to the fact of this crucifixion, or express any belief 
thereon. 4 In the Talmud—the book containing Jewish traditions 
—Jesus is not referred to as the “ crucified one,” but as the “ hansred 
one,” 5 while elsewhere it is narrated he was stoned to death ; so that 
it is evident they were ignorant of the manner of death which he 
suffered. Still, none maintained that he was crucified. 6 


1 Ch. iv. 5. 

2 Josephus : Antiq., b. xx. ch. v. 2. 

3 It is true there was another Annas high- 
priest at Jerusalem, but this was when Gratus 
was procurator of Judea, some twelve or fif¬ 
teen years before Pontius Pilate held the same 
office. (See Josephus : Antiq., book xviii. ch. 
ii. 3.) 

4 See Appendix D. 

5 See the Martyrdom of Jesus, p. 100. 


6 According to Dio Cassius, Plutarch, Strabo 
and others, there existed, in the time of Herod, 
among the Roman Syrian heathens, a wide¬ 
spread and deep sympathy for a “ Crucified 
King of the Jews." This was the youngest 
son of Aristobul, the heroic Maccabee. In the 
year 43 b. c., we find this young man — Anti- 
gonus —in Palestine claiming the crown, his 
cause having been declared just by Julius 
Ca;sar. Allied with the Parthians, he main- 




CONCLUSION. 


517 


It would appear that the crucifixion was not commonly believed 
among early Christians. It is contradicted three times in the Acts 
of the Apostles, and if w T e are to believe the author of that book, it 
was Peter who contradicted it. “ Whom ye slew and hanged on a 
tree” (Acts v. 30), says Peter, of Jesus, lie states again (x. 39), 
“ Whom they slew and hanged on a tree; ” and repeats (xiii. 29), 
“ They took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.” 
There is no cross and no crucifixion , as commonly understood, in 
these statements, which prove, not that Peter said so, but that the 
author of the Acts believed to know traditionally from Peter that 
Jesus w T as hung on a tree, and died there, or, that he was slain and 
then liun^ to a tree. 

“ The conclusion is, that no clearly defined traces of the personal 
Jesus remain on the surface, or beneath the surface, of Christendom. 
The silence of Josephus and other secular historians may be ac¬ 
counted for without falling back on a theory of hostility or con¬ 
tempt. 1 The 6%WsMdea cannot be spared from Christian develop¬ 
ment, but the personal Jesus, in some measure, can be.” 

“ The person of Jesus, though it may have been immense, is 
indistinct. That a great character w T as there may be conceded ; but 
precisely wherein the character was great, is left to our conjecture . 
Of the eminent persons who have swayed the spiritual destinies of 
mankind, none has more completely disappeared from the critical 
view. The ideal image which Christians have, for nearly two 
thousand years, worshiped under the name of Jesus, has no authen¬ 
tic, distinctly visible, counterpart in history.” 

“ Ilis followers have gone on with the process of idealization, 
placing him higher and higher; making his personal existence more 
and more essential; insisting more and more urgently on the neces¬ 
sity of private intercourse with him; letting the Father subside 
into the background, as an ‘ effluence,’ and the Holy Ghost lapse 
from individual identity into impersonal influence, in order that he 


tained himself in his royal position for six 
years against Herod and Mark Antony. At 
last, after a heroic life and reign, he fell in 
the hands of this Roman. “ Antony now gave 
the kingdom to a certain Herod , and, having 
stretched Antigonus on a cross and scourged 
him, a thing never done before to any other 
king by the Romans , he put him to death." 
(Dio Cassius, book xlix. p. 405.) 

The fact that all prominent historians of 
those days mention this extraordinary occur¬ 
rence, and the manner they did it, show that 
it was considered one of Mark Antony’s worst 


crimes : and that the sympathy with the “ Cru¬ 
cified King ” was wide-spread and profound. 
(See The Martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth, p. 
106.) 

Some writers think that there is a connection 
between this and the Gospel story ; that they, 
in a certain measure, put Jesus in the place of 
Antigonus, just as they put Herod in the 
place of Kansa. (See Chapter XVIII.) 

1 Canon Farrar thinks that Josephus 
silence on the subject of Jesus and Christian¬ 
ity, was as deliberate as it was dishonest. 
(See his Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 63.) 




518 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


miglit be all in all as Regenerator and Saviour. From age to age 
the personal Jesus has been made the object of an extreme adora¬ 
tion, till now faith in the living Christ is the heart of the Gospel ; 
philosophy, science, culture, humanity are thrust resolutely aside, 
and the great teachers of the age are extinguished in order that his 
light may shine.” But, as Mr. Frothingham remarks, in “The 
Cradle of the Christ ” : “In the order of experience, historical and 
biographical truth is discovered by stripping off layer after layer 
of exaggeration, and going back to the statements of contempora¬ 
ries. As a rule, figures are reduced , not enlarged, by criticism. 
The influence of admiration is recognized as distorting and falsify¬ 
ing, while exalting. The process of legend-making begins imme¬ 
diately, goes on rapidly and with accelerating speed, and must be 
liberally allowed for by the seeker after truth. In scores of instances 
the historical individual turns out to be very much smaller than he 
was painted by his terrified or loving worshipers. In no single 
case has it been established that he was greater, or as great. It is, 
no doubt, conceivable that such a case should occur, but it never 
has occurred, in known instances, and cannot be presumed to have 
occurred in any particular instance. The presumptions are against 
the correctness of the glorified image. The disposition to exagger¬ 
ate is so much stronger than the disposition to underrate, that even 
really great men are placed higher than they belong oftener than 
lower. The historical method works backwards. Knowledge 
shrinks the man.” 1 


1 Many examples might be cited to confirm 
this view, but the case of Joseph Smith, in our 
own time and country, will suffice. 

The Mormons regard him very much as 
Christians regard Jesus ; as the Mohammedans 
do Mohammed ; or as the Buddhists do Buddha. 
A coarse sort of religious feeling and fervor 
appears to have been in Smith’s nature. He 
seems, from all accounts, to have been cracked 
on theology, as so many zealots have been, 
and cracked to such an extent that his early 
acquaintances regarded him as a downright 
fanatic. 

The common view that he was an impostor 
is not sustained by what is known of him. 
lie was, in all probability, of unbalanced mind, 
a monomaniac, as most prophets have been ; 
but there is no reason to think that he did not 
believe in himself, and substantially in what 
lie taught. He has declared that, when he was 
about fifteen, he began to reflect on the im¬ 
portance of being prepared for a future state, 
lie went from one church to another without 
finding anything to satisfy the hunger of his 
soul, consequently, he retired into himself ; he 


sought solitude ; he spent hours and days in 
meditation and prayer, after the true manner 
of all accredited saints, and was soon repaid by 
the visits of angels. One of these came to 
him when he was but eighteen years old, and 
the house in which he was seemed filled with 
consuming fire. The presence—he styles it a 
personage—had a pace like lightning, and pro¬ 
claimed himself to be an angel of the Lord. 
He vouchsafed to Smith a vast deal of highly 
important information of a celestial order. He 
told him that his (Smith’s) prayers had been 
heard, and his sins forgiven ; that the cove¬ 
nant which the Almighty had made with the oid 
Jews was to be fulfilled ; that the introductory 
work for the second coming of Christ w-as now 
to begin ; that the hour for the preaching of 
the gospel in its purity to all peoples was at 
hand, and that Smith was to be an instrument 
in the hands of God, to further the divine pur¬ 
pose in the new dispensation. The celestial 
stranger also furnished him with a sketch of 
the origin, progress, laws and civilization of 
the American aboriginals, and declared that 
the blessing of heaven had finaliy been with- 




CONCLUSION 


519 


As we are allowed to conjecture as to what is true in the Gospel 
history, we shall now do so. 

The death of Herod, which occurred a few years before the time 
assigned for the birth of Jesus, was followed by frightful social and 
political convulsions in Judea. For two or three years all the ele¬ 
ments of disorder were abroad. Between pretenders to the vacant 
throne of Herod, and aspirants to ike Messianic throne of David , 
Judea was torn and devastated. He volt assumed the wildest form, 
the higher enthusiasm of faith yielded to the lower fury of fanati¬ 
cism‘ the celestial visions of a kingdom of heaven were completely 
banished by the smoke and flame of political hate. Claimant after 
claimant of the dangerous supremacy of the Messiah appeared , 
pitched a camp in the wilderness , raised the banner , gathered a 


drawn from them. To Smith was communi¬ 
cated the momentous circumstance that cer¬ 
tain plates containing an abridgment of the 
records of the aboriginals and ancient proph¬ 
ets, who had lived on this continent, were hid¬ 
den in a hill near Palmyra. The prophet 
was counseled to go there and look at them, 
and did so. Not being holy enough to 
possess them as yet, he passed some months 
in spiritual probation, after which the records 
were put into his keeping. These had been 
prepared, it is claimed, by a prophet called 
Mormon, who had been ordained by God for 
the purpose, and to conceal them until he 
should produce them for the benefit of the 
faithful, and unite them with the Bible for the 
achievement of his will. They form the cele¬ 
brated Book of Mormon—whence the name 
Mormon—and are esteemed by the Latter-Day 
Saints as of equal authority with the Old and 
New Testaments, and as an indispensable 
supplement thereto, because they include God’s 
disclosures to the Mormon world. These pre¬ 
cious records were sealed up and deposited a.d. 
420 in the place where Smith had viewed them 
by the direction of the angel. 

The records were, it is held, in the reformed 
Egyptian tongue, and Smith translated them 
through the inspiration of the angel, and one 
Oliver Cowdrey wrote down the translation as 
reported by the God-possessed Joseph. This 
translation was published in 1830, and its divine 
origin was attested by a dozen persons—all 
relatives and friends of Smith. Only these 
have ever pretended to see the original plates, 
which have already become traditional. The 
plates have been frequently called for by skep¬ 
tics, but all in vain. Naturally, warm contro¬ 
versy arose concerning the authenticity of the 
Book of Mormon, and disbelievers have asserted 
that they have indubitable evidence that it is, 
with the exception of various unlettered inter¬ 
polations, principally borrowed from a queer, 


rhapsodical romance written by an eccentric 
ex-clergyman named Solomon Spalding. 

Smith and his disciples were ridiculed and 
socially persecuted ; but they seemed to be 
ardently earnest, and continued to preach their 
creed, which was to the effect that the millen¬ 
nium was at hand ; that our aboriginals were 
to be converted, and that the New Jerusalem— 
the last residence and home of the saints—was 
to be near the centre of this continent. The 
Vermont prophet, later on, was repeatedly 
mobbed, even shot at. His narrow escapes 
were construed as interpositions of divine prov¬ 
idence, but he displayed perfect coolness and 
intrepidity through all his trials. The Church 
of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints was 
first established in the spring of 1830 at Man¬ 
chester, N. Y.; but it awoke such fierce oppo¬ 
sition, particularly from the orthodox, many 
of them preachers, that Smith and his associ¬ 
ates deemed it prudent to move farther west. 
They established themselves at Kirtland, O., 
and won there many converts. Hostility to 
them still continued, and grew so fierce that 
the body transferred itself to Missouri, and 
next to Illinois, settling in the latter state 
near the village of Commerce, which was re¬ 
named Nauvoo. 

The Governor and Legislature of Illinois 
favored the Mormons, but the anti-Mormons 
made war on them in every way, and the cus¬ 
tom of *■ sealing wives,” which is yet mysteri¬ 
ous to the Gentiles, caused serious outbreaks, 
and resulted in the incarceration of the prophet 
and his brother Hiram at Carthage. Fearing 
that the two might be released by the authori¬ 
ties, a band of ruffians broke into the jail, in 
the summer of 1844, and murdered them in cold 
blood. This was most fortunate for the mem¬ 
ory of Smith and for his doctrines. It placed 
him in the light of a holy martyr, and lent to 
them a dignity and vitality they had never be¬ 
fore enjoyed. 



520 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


force , was attacked^ defeated , banished or crucified / but the frenzy 
did not abate. 

The popular aspect of the Messianic hope was political , not re¬ 
ligious or moral. The name Messiah was synonymous with King 
of the Jews; it suggested political designs and aspirations. The 
.assumption of that character by any individual drew on him the 
vigilance of the police. 

That Jesus of Nazareth assumed the character of “Messiah ” as 
did many before and after him, and that his crucifixion 1 was simply 
an act of the law on political grounds , just as it w r as in the case of 
other so-called Messiahs , w T e believe to be the truth of the matter. 8 




“ He is represented as being a native of Galilee , the insurgent dis¬ 
trict of the country y nurtured, if not born, in Nazareth, one of its 
chief cities ; reared as a youth amid traditions of patriotic devotion, 
and amid scenes associated with heroic dreams and endeavors. The 
Galileans were restless, excitable people, beyond the reach of con¬ 
ventionalities, remote from the centre of power, ecclesiastical and 
secular, simple in their lives, bold of speech, independent in thought, 


1 When we speak of Jesus being crucified, 
we do not intend to convey the idea that he 
Mas put to death on a cross of the form adopted 
by Christians. This cross was the symbol of 
life and immortality among our heathen an¬ 
cestors (see Chapter XXXIII.), and in adopting 
Pagan religious symbols , and baptizing them 
anew, the Christians took this along with 
others. The crucifixion was not a symbol of the 
earliest church ; no trace of it can be found in 
the Catacombs. Some of the earliest that did 
appear, however, are similar to figures No. 43 
and No. 43, above, which represent two of the 


modes in which the Romans crucified their 
slaves and criminals. (See Chapter XX., on 
the Crucifixion of Jesus.) 

2 According to the Matthew and Mark nar¬ 
rators, Jesus’ head was anointed while sitting 
at table in the house of Simon the leper. Now, 
this practice M as common among the kings of 
Israel. It n’as the sign and symbol of royalty. 
The M'ord '■'■Messiah" signifies the “Anointed 
One,” and none of the kings of Israel were 
styled the Messiah unless anointed. (See The 
Martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth, p. 42.) 















CONCLUSION. 


521 


thoroughgoing in the sort of radicalism that is common among peo¬ 
ple who live ‘ out of the world,’ avIio have leisure to discuss the 
exciting topics of the day, but too little knowledge, culture, or sense 
of social responsibility to discuss them soundly. Their mental dis¬ 
content and moral intractability were proverbial. They were bel¬ 
ligerents. The Romans had more trouble with them than with the 
natives of any other province. The Messiahs all started out from 
Galilee , and never failed to collect followers round their standard. 
The Galileans, more than others, lived in the anticipation of the 
Deliverer. The reference of the Messiah to Galilee is therefore 
already an indication of the character he is to assume.” 

To show the state the country must have been in at that time, 
we will quote an incident or two from Josephus. 

A religious enthusiast called the Samaritans together upon 
Mount Gerizim, and assured them that he would work a miracle. 
“ So they came thither armed, and thought the discourse of the man 
probable; and as they abode at a certain village, which was called 
Tirathaba, they got the rest together of them, and desired to go up 
the mountain in a great multitude together: but Pilate prevented 
their going up, by seizing upon the roads by a great band of horse¬ 
men and footmen, who fell upon those who were gotten together 
in the village ; and when it came to an action, some of them they 
slew, and others of them they put to flight, and took a great many 
alive, the principal of whom, and also the most potent of those that 
fled away, Pilate ordered to be slain.” 1 

Not long before this Pilate pillaged the temple treasury, and 
used the “sacred money ” to bring a current of water to Jerusalem. 
The Jews were displeased with this, “ and many ten thousands of 
the people got together and made a clamor against him. Some of 
them used reproaches, and abused the man, as crowds of such peo¬ 
ple usually do. So he habited a great number of his soldiers in 
their habits, who carried daggers under their garments, and sent 
them to a place where they might surround them. So he bade the 
Jews himself go away; but they boldly casting reproaches upon 
him, he gave the soldiers that signal which had been beforehand 
agreed on; who laid upon them with much greater blows than Pi¬ 
late had commanded them, and equally punished those that were 
tumultuous, and those that were not; nor did they spare them in 
the least: and since the people were unarmed, and were caught by 
men prepared for what they were about, there were a great number 


1 Josephus : Antiquities, book xviii. ch.iv. 1. 




522 


BIBLE MYTHS. 


of them slain by this means, and others ran away wounded. 
And thus an end was put to this sedition .” 1 2 

It was such deeds as these, inflicted upon the Jews by their op¬ 
pressors, that made them think of the promised Messiah who was 
to deliver them from bondage, and which made many zealous fana¬ 
tics imagine themselves to be “ lie who should come .” 3 

There is reason to believe, as we have said, that Jesus of Naza¬ 
reth assumed the title of “ Messiah .” Ilis age was throbbing and 
bursting with suppressed energy. The pressure of the Homan 
Empire was required to keep it down. “ The Messianic hope had 
such vitality that it condensed into moments the moral result of 
ages. The common people were watching to see the heavens open, 
interpreted peals of thunder as angel voices, and saw divine potents 
in the flight of birds. Mothers dreamed their boys would be Mes¬ 
siah. The wildest preacher drew a crowd. The heart of the nation 
swelled big with the conviction that the hour of destiny was about 
to strike, that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. The crown 
was ready for any kingly head that might assume it .” 3 

The actions of this man, throughout his public career, we believe 
to be those of a zealot whose zeal overrode considerations of wis¬ 
dom ; in fact, a Galilean fanatic. Pilate condemns him reluctantly, 
feeling that he is a harmless visionary, but is obliged to condemn 
him as one of the many who persistently claimed to be the “ Mes¬ 
siah” or u King of the Jews” an enemy of Caesar, an instrument 
against the empire, a pretender to the throne, a bold inciter to 
rebellion. The death he undergoes is the death of the traitor and 
mutineer , 4 the death that was inflicted on many such claimants, the 
death that would have been decreed to Judas the Gaulite , 5 had he 
been captured, and that was inflicted on thousands of his deluded 
followers. It -was the Romans , then , who cy'ucified the man Jesus , 
and not the Jew's. 


1 Joseplms : Antiquities, book xviii. chap, 
iii. 2. 

2 “ From the death of Herod, 4 b. c., to the 
death of Bar-Cochba, 132 a.d., no less than 
fifty different enthusiasts setup as the Messiah, 
and obtained more or less following.” (John 
W. Chadwick.) 

3 “ There was, at this time , a prevalent ex¬ 
pectation that some remarkable personage was 
about to appear in Judea. The Jews were 
anxiously looking for the coming of the Mes¬ 
siah. This personage, they supposed, would 
be a temporal prince , and they were ex¬ 
pecting that he would deliver them from Ro¬ 
man bondage.” (Albert Barnes : Notes, vol. i. 

P- 7.) 

“ The central and dominant characteristic 


of the teaching of the Rabbis, was the certain 
advent of a great national Deliverer—the Mes¬ 
siah. . . . The national mind had become 
so inflammable, by constant brooding on this 
one theme, that any bold spirit rising in revolt 
against the Homan power , could find an army 
of fierce disciples ivho trusted that it should be 
he u-ho would redeem Israel." (Geikie : The 
Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 79.) 

4 “The penalty of crucifixion , according to 
Roman law and custom, was inflicted on slaves, 
and in the provinces on rebels only." (The 
Martyrdom of Jesus, p. 9G.) 

6 Judas, the Gaulonite or Galilean , as 
Josephus calls him, declared, when Cyrenius 
came to tax the Jewish people, that “this tax¬ 
ation was no better than an introduction to 



CONCLUSION. 


523 


u In tlie Roman law the State is the main object, for which the 
individual must live and die, with or against his will. In Jewish 
law, the person is made the main object, for which the State must 
live and die ; because the fundamental idea of the Roman law is 
power, and the fundamental idea of Jewish law is justice .” * 1 There¬ 
fore Caiaphas and his conspirators did not act f rom the Jewish 
standpoint. They represented Home , her principles, interest, and 
barbarous caprices . 2 Not one point in the whole trial agrees with 
Jewish laws and custom . 3 It is impossible to save it; it must be 
given up as a transparent and unskilled invention of a Gentile 
Christian , who knew nothing of Jewish law and custom, and was 
ignorant of the state of civilization in Palestine, in the time of 
Jesus. 

Jesus had been proclaimed the “Messiah” the “Ruler of the 
Jews ,” and the restorer of the kingdom of heaven. No Roman ear 
could understand these pretensions, otherwise than in their rebel¬ 
lious sense. That Pontius Pilate certainly understood under the 
title, “ Messiah” the king (the political chief of the nation), is evi¬ 
dent from the subscription of the cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, King 
of the Jews,” which he did not remove in spite of all protestations 
of the Jews. There is only one point in which the four Gospels 
agree, and that is, that early in the morning Jesus was delivered 
over to the Roman governor , Pilate; that he was accused of high- 
treason against Rome —having been proclaimed King of the Jews 
—and that in consequence thereof he was condemned first to be 


slavery,” and exhorted the nation to assert 
their liberty, lie therefore prevailed upon his 
countrymen to revolt. (See Josephus : Antiq., 
b. xvjii. ch. i. 1, and Wars of the Jews, b. ii. ch. 
viii. 1.) 

1 The Martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth, p. 

30. 

2 “ That the High Council did accuse Jesus, 
I suppose no one will doubt: and since they 
could neither wish or expect the Homan Gov¬ 
ernor to make himself judge of their sacred law, 
it becomes certain that their accusation was 
purely political, and took such a form as this: 

‘ He has accepted tumultuous shouts that he is 
the legitimate and predicted King of Israel, 
and in this character has ridden into Jerusalem 
with the forms of state understood to be royal 
and saci ed; with what purpose, we ask, if not 
to overturn our institutions, and your domin¬ 
ion ?’ If Jesus spoke, at the crisis which Mat¬ 
thew represents, the virulent speech attributed 
to him (Matt, xxiii.), we may well believe that 
this gave a new incentive to the rulers ; for it 
is such as no government in Europe would over¬ 


look or forgive ; but they are not likely to have 
expected Pilate to care for any conduct which 
might be called an ecclesiastical broil. The 
assumption of royalty was clearly the point of 
their attack. Even the mildest man among 
them may have thought his conduct dangerous 
and needing repression.” (Francis W. New¬ 
man, “ What is Christianity without Christ ?”) 

According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus 
was completely innocent of the charge which 
has sometimes been brought against him, that 
he wished to be considered as a God come down 
to earth. His enemies certainly would not have 
failed to make such a pretension the basis and 
tne continual theme of their accusations, if it 
had been possible to do so. The two grounds 
ujron which he was brought before the Sanhe¬ 
drim were, flrst, the bold ivords he teas sup¬ 
posed to have spoken about the temple; and, 
secondly and chiefly, the fact that he claimed to 
be the Messiah, i. e., “ The King of the Jews." 
(Albert Reville : “ The Doctrine of the Dogma 
of the Deity of Jesus,” p. 7.) 

3 See The Martyrdom of Jesus, p. 30. 




524 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


scourged, and then to be crucified; all of which was done in hot 
haste. In all other 'points the narratives of the Evangelists differ 
widely , and so essentially that one story cannot be made of the four 
accounts; nor can any particular points stand the test of historical 
criticism, and vindicate its substantiality as a fact. 

The Jews could not have crucified Jesus, according to their laws , 
if they had inflicted on him the highest penalty of the law, since 
crucifixion was exclusively Homan .* If the priests, elders, Phari¬ 
sees, Jews, or all of them wanted Jesus out of the way so badly, 
why did they not have him quietly put to death while he was in their 
power, and done at once ? The writer of the oldest Gospel seems 
to have understood this difficulty, and informs us, that they could 
not kill him, because he had prophesied what death he should die • 
so he could die no other. It was dire necessity, that the heathen 
symbol of life and immortality—the cross 1 2 —should be brought to 
honor among the early Christians, and Jesus bad to die on the cross, 
in a position unknown to the ancient Romans , even if no Jew or 
Roman had ever lived, according to John , simply because it was 
so prophesied. The fact is, the crucifixion story, like the symbol of 
the crucifix itself, came from abroad? It was told with the avowed 
intention of exonerating the Romans, and criminating the Jews, so 
they make the Roman governor take water, “ and wash his hands 
before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this 
just person : see ye to it.” To be sure of their case, they make the 
Jews say : IIis blood be on us, and on our children!' 

“ Another fact is this. Just at the period of time when mis¬ 
fortune and ruination befell the Jews most severely, in the first 
post-apostolic generation, the Christians were most active in making 
proselytes among Gentiles. To have then preached that a crucified 
Jewish Rabbi of Galilee was their Saviour, would have sounded 
supremely ridiculous to those heathens. To have added thereto, 
that the said Rabbi was crucified by command of a Roman Governor, 
because he had been proclaimed ‘ King of the Jews,’would have 
been fatal to the whole scheme. In the opinion of the vulgar 
heathen, where the Roman Governor and Jewish Rabbi came in 
conflict, the former must unquestionably be right, and the latter 
decidedly wrong. To have preached a Saviour who was justly 
condemned to die the death of a slave and villain, would certainly 
have proved fatal to the whole enterprise. Therefore it was neces- 


1 See note 4, p. 522. 3 That is, the crucifixion story as related in 

2 See Chapter XXXIII. the Gospels. See note 1, page 520. 

4 Matthew, xxvii. 24, 25. 




CONCLUSION. 


Kor; 


sary to exonerate Pilate and the Romans, and to throw the whole 
burden upon the Jews, in order to establish the innocence and mar¬ 
tyrdom of Jesus in the heathen mind.” 

That the crucifixion story, as related in the synoptic Gospels, 
was written abroad , and not in the Hebrew, or in the dialect spoken 
by the Hebrews of Palestine, is evident from the following par¬ 
ticular points, noticed by Dr. Isaac M. Wise, a learned Hebrew 
scholar: 

The Marie and Matthew narrators call the place of crucifixion 
u Golgotha” to which the Mark narrator adds, “ which is, being in¬ 
terpreted, the jplace of skulls .” The, Matthew narrator adds the 
same interpretation, which the John narrator copies without the 
word ‘* Golgotha” and adds, it was a place near Jerusalem. The 
Luke narrator calls the place of crucifixion “ Calvary ,” which is the 
Latin Calvaria , viz., “ the place of bare skulls” Therefore the 
name does not refer to the form of the hill, but to the bare skulls 
upon it .* Now “ there is no such ivord as Golgotha any where in 
Jewish literature , and there is no such place mentioned any where 
near Jerusalem or in Palestine by any writer / and, in fact, there 
was no such place; there could have been none near Jerusalem. 
The Jews buried their dead carefully. Also the executed convict 
, had to be buried before night. No bare skulls, bleaching in the sun, 
could be found in Palestine, especially not near Jerusalem. It was 
law , that a bare skull , the bare spinal column , and also the imper¬ 
fect skeleton of any h uman being , make man unclean by contact , and 
also by having either in the house. Man, thus made unclean, could 
not eat of any sacrificial meal, or of the sacred tithe, before he had 
gone through the ceremonies of purification ; and whatever he 
touched was also unclean (Maimonides, Hil. Tumath Meth., iii. 1). 
Any impartial reader can see that the object of this law was to pre¬ 
vent the barbarous practice of heathens of having human skulls and 
skeletons lie about exposed to the decomposing influences of the 
atmosphere, as the Romans did in Palestine after the fall of Betliar, 
when for a long time they would give no permission to bury the 
dead patriots. This law was certainly enforced most rigidly in the 
vicinity of Jerusalem, of which they maintained ‘‘Jerusalem is 
more holy than all other cities surrounded with walls,” so that it 
was not permitted to keep a dead body over night in the city, or to 


i Commentators, in endeavoring to get over 
this difficulty, say that, “it may come from the 
look or form of the spot itself, bald, round, and 


skull-like, and therefore a mound or hillock,” 
but, if it means “ the place of bare skulls ,” no 
such construction as the ubove can be put to 
the word. 



/ 



520 BIBLE MYTHS. 

transport through it human bones. Jerusalem was the place of the sac- 
rificial meals and the consumption of the sacred tithe, which was con¬ 
sidered very holy (Maimonides, Hil. Beth Habchirah, vii. 14); there, 
and in the surroundings, skulls and skeletons were certainly never 
seen on the surface of the earth, and consequently there was no place 
called “ Golgotha ,” and there w T as no such word in the Hebrew' dia¬ 
lect. It is a word coined by the Mark narrator to translate the 
Latin term “ Calvaria ,” which, together with the crucifixion story, 
came from Rome. But after the Syrian word was made, nobody 
understood it, and the Mark narrator was obliged to expound it.” 1 

In the face of the arguments produced, the crucifixion story, as 
related in the Gospels, cannot be upheld as an historical fact. There 
exists, certainly, no rational ground whatever for the belief that the 
affair took place in the manner the Evangelists describe it. All that 
can be saved of the whole story is, that after Jesus had answered 
the first question before Pilate, viz., “Art thou the King of the 
Jews ?” which it is natural to suppose he was asked, and also this 
can be supposed only, he was given over to the Koman soldiers to 
be disposed of as soon as possible, before his admirers and followers 
could come to his rescue, or any demonstration in his favor be made. 
He was captured in the night, as quietly as possible, and guarded 
in some place, probably in the high-priest’s court, completely se¬ 
cluded from the eyes of the populace; and early in the morning he 
was brought before Pilate as cautiously and quietly as it could be 
done, and at his command, disposed of by the soldiers as quickly 
as practicable, and in a manner not known to the mass of the peo¬ 
ple. All this was done, most likely, while the multitude worshiped 
on Mount Moriah, and nobody had an intimation of the tragical end 
of the Man of Hazareth. 

The bitter cry of Jesus, as he hung on the tree, “My God, my 
God, why hast thou forsaken me ?” disclosed the hope of deliver¬ 
ance that till the last moment sustained his heart, and betrayed the 
anguish felt when the hope was blighted; the sneers and hooting 
of the Roman soldiers expressed their conviction that he had pre¬ 
tended to be what he was not. 

The miracles ascribed to him, and the moral precepts put into 
his mouth, in after years, are what might be expected ; history was 
simply repeating itself ; the same thing had been done for others. 
“ The preacher of the Mount, the prophet of the Beatitudes, does 


1 The Martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth, pp. 109-111. 




CONCLUSION. 


527 


but repeat, with persuasive lips, what the law-givers of liis race pro¬ 
claimed in mighty tones of command.” 1 

The martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth has been gratefully 
acknowledged by his disciples, whose lives he saved by the sacrifice 
of his own, and by their friends, who would have fallen by the score 
had he not prevented the rebellion ripe at Jerusalem. 2 Posterity, 
infatuated with Pagan apotheoses, made of that simple martyrdom 
an interesting legend, colored with the myths of resurrection and 
ascension to that very heaven which the telescope has put out of 
man’s way. It is a novel myth, made to suit the gross conceptions of 
ex-heathens. Modern theology, understanding well enough that the 
myth cannot be saved, seeks refuge in the greatness and self-denial 
of the man who died for an idea, as though Jesus had been the only 
man wdio had died for an idea. Thousands, tens of thousands of 
Jews, Christians, Mohammedans and Heathens, have died for ideas, 
and some of them were very foolish. But Jesus did not die for an 
idea. He never advanced anything new, that we know of, to die 
for. He was not accused of saying or teaching anything original . 
Nobody has ever been able to discover anything new and original 
in the Gospels. He evidently died to save the lives of his friends, 
and this is much more meritorious than if he had died for a ques¬ 
tionable idea. But then the whole fabric of vicarious atonement 
is demolished, and modern theology cannot get over the absurdity 
that the Almighty Lord of the Universe, the infinite and eternal 
cause of all causes, had to kill some innocent person in order to be 
reconciled to the human race. However abstractly they speculate 
and subtilize, there is always an undigested bone of man-god, god- 
man, and vicarious atonement in the theological stomach. There¬ 
fore theology appears so ridiculous in the eyes of modern philoso¬ 
phy. The theological speculation cannot go far enough to hold 
pace with modern astronomy. However nicely the idea may be 
dressed, the great God of the immense universe looks too small 
upon the cross of Calvary; and the human family is too large, lias 
too numerous virtues and vices, to be perfectly represented by, and 
dependent on, one Rabbi of Galilee. Speculate as they may, one 
way or another, they must connect the Eternal and the fate of the 
human family with the person and fate of Jesus. That is the very 
thing which deprives Jesus of his crown of martyrdom, and brings 


1 O. B. Frothingham : The Cradle of the 
Christ, p. 11. 

The reader is referred to “ Judaism : Its 
Doctrines and Precepts,” by Dr. Isaac M. Wise. 
Printed at the office of the “ American Israel¬ 


ite,” Cincinnati, Ohio. 

2 If Jesus, instead of giving himself up 
quietly, had resisted against being arrested, 
there certainly would have been bloodshed, as 
there was on many other similar occasions. 



528 


BIBLE MYTII3. 


religion in perpetual conflict with philosophy. It was not the re¬ 
ligious idea which was crucified in Jesus and resurrected with him, 
as with all its martyrs; although his belief in immortality may 
have strengthened him in the agony of death. It was the idea of 
duty to his disciples and friends which led him to the realms of 
death. This deserves admiration, but no more. It demonstrates 
the nobility of human nature, but proves nothing in regard to prov¬ 
idence, or the providential scheme of government. 

The Christian story, as the Gospels narrate it , cannot stand the 
test of criticism. You approach it critically and it falls. Dogmatic 
Christology built upon it, has, therefore, a very frail foundation. 
Most so-called lives of Christ, or biographies of Jesus, are works of 
fiction, erected by imagination on the shifting foundation of mea¬ 
gre and unreliable records. There are very few passages in the 
Gospels which can stand the rigid application of honest criticism. 
In modern science and philosophy, orthodox Christology is out of 
the question. 

“This ‘sacred tradition ’ has in itself a glorious vitality, which 
Christians may unblameably entitle immortal. But it certainly will 
not lose in beauty, grandeur, or truth, if all the details concerning 
Jesus which are current in the Gospels, and all the mythology of 
his person, be forgotten or discredited. Christianity will remain 
without Christ. 

“ This formula has in it nothing paradoxical. Rightly inter¬ 
preted, it simply means : All that is best in Judceo-Christian senti¬ 


ment, moral or spiritual , will survive , without Rabbinical fan¬ 
cies, cultured by perverse logic / without huge piles of fable built 
upon them: without the Oriental Satan , a formidable rival to 
the throne of God / without the Pagan invention of Hell and 
Devils A 


In modern criticism, the Gospel sources become so utterly worth¬ 
less and unreliable, that it takes more than ordinary faith to believe 
any portion thereof is at all true. The Eucharist was not estab¬ 
lished by Jesus, and cannot be called a sacrament. The trials of 
Jesus are positively not true: they are pure inventions. 1 The cru¬ 
cifixion story, as narrated , is certainly not true, and it is extremely 
difficult to save the bare fact that Jesus-was crucified. What can 
the critic do with books in which a few facts must be ingeniously 
guessed from under the mountain of ghost stories, 2 childish mira- 


1 It’ what is recorded in the Gospels on the could fail to have noticed it, but instead of this 
subject was true, no historian of that day there is nothing. 

2 See Matthew, sxvii. 51-53. 




CONCLUSION. 


529 


cles, 1 2 and dogmatic tendencies V It is absurd to expect of him to 
regard them as sources of religious instruction, in preference to any 
other mythologies and legends. That is the point at which modem 
critics have arrived, therefore, the Gospels have become books for 
the museum and archaeologist, for students of mythology and an¬ 
cient literature. 

The spirit of dogmatic Christology hovers still over a portion of 
civilized society, in antic organizations, disciplines, and hereditary 
forms of faith and worship ; in science and philosophy, in the realm 
of criticism, its day is past. The universal, religious, and ethical 
element of Christianity has no connection whatever with Jesus or 
his apostles, with the Gospel, or the Gospel story ; it exists inde¬ 
pendent of any person or story. Therefore it needs neither the 
Gospel story nor its heroes. If we profit by the example, by the 
teachings, or the discoveries of men of past ages, to these men we 
are indebted, and are in duty bound to acknowledge our indebted¬ 
ness ; but why should we give to one individual, Jesus of Nazareth, 
the credit of it all ? It is true, that by selecting from the Gospels 
whatever portions one may choose, a common practice among Chris¬ 
tian writers , a noble and grand character may be depicted, but icho 
was the original of this character ? We may find the same indi¬ 
vidual outside of the Gospels, and before the time of Jesus. The 
moral precepts of the Gospels, also, were in existence before the 
Gospels themselves were in existence. 3 Why, then, extol the hero 
of the Gospels, and forget all others? 


1 See Matt. xiv. 15-22 ; Mark, iv. 1-3, andxi. 
14 ; and Luke, vii. 26-37. 

2 See Mark, xvi. 16. 

3 This fact has at last been admitted by the 
most orthodox among the Christians. The Rev. 
George Matheson, D.D., Minister of the Parish 
of Innellan, and a member of the Scotch Kirk, 
speaking of the precept uttered by Confucius, 
five hundred years before the time assigned for 
the birth of Jesus of Nazareth (“ Whatsoever ye 
would not that others should do unto you, do 
not ye unto them ”)-Hsay8 : “That Confucius is 
the author of this precept is undisputed, and 
therefore it is indisputable that Christianity has 
incorporated an article of Chinese morality. It 
has appeared to some as if this were to the 
disparagement of Christianity—as if the orig¬ 
inality of its Divine Founder were impaired by 
consenting to borrow a precept from a heathen 
source. Hut in what sense dose Christianity 
set up the claim of moral originality? When 
we speak of the religion of Christ as having 
introduced into the world a purer life and a 
surer guide to conduct, what do we mean ? 

34 


Do we mean to suggest that Christianity lias, 
for the first time , revealed to the world the 
existence of a set of self-sacrificing pre¬ 
cepts—that here, for the first time , man ha* 
learned that he ought to be meek, merciful, 
humble, forgiving, sorrowful for sin, peace¬ 
able, and pure in heart ? The proof of such 
a statement would destroy Christianity itself, 
for an absolute original code of precepts would 
be equivalent to a foreign language. The 
glory of Christian morality is that it is not 
original -that its words appeal to something 
which already exists within the human heart, 
and on that account have a meaning to the 
human ear : no new revelation , can be made 
except through the medium of an old one. 
When we attribute originality to the ethics 
of the Gospel, we do so on the ground, not 
that it has given new precepts , but that it has 
given us a new impulse to obey the moral in¬ 
stincts of the soul. Christianity itself claims 
on the field of morals this originality, and 
this alone —‘A new commandment give 1 unto 
you, that you love one another. 111 (St. Giles 




530 


BIBLE MYTIIS. 


As it was at the end of Roman Paganism, so is it now: the 
masses are deceived and fooled, or do it for themselves, and persons 
of vivacious fantasies prefer the masquerade of delusion, to the 
simple sublimity of naked but majestic truth. The decline of the 
church as a political power proves beyond a doubt the decline of 
Christian faith. The conflicts of Church and State all over the 
European continent, and the hostility between intelligence and dog¬ 
matic Christianity , demonstrates the death of Christology in the 
consciousness of modern culture. It is useless to shut our eyes to 
these facts. Like rabbinical Judaism, dogmatic Christianity was 
the product of ages without typography, telescopes, microscopes, 
telegraphs, and jDower of steam. u These right arms of intelligence 
have fought the titanic battles, conquered and demolished the an¬ 
cient castles, and remove now the debris, preparing the ground upon 
which there shall be the gorgeous temple of humanity, one univer¬ 
sal republic, one universal religion of intelligence, and one great 
universal brotherhood. This is the new covenant, the gospel of 
humanity and reason.” 

“-Hoary headed selfishness has felt 

Its death-blow, and is tottering to the grave : 

A brighter morn awaits the human day ; 

War with its million horrors, and fierce hell, 

Shall live but in the memory of time, 

Who, like a penitent libertine, shall start, 

Look back, and shudder at his younger years.” 


Lectures, Second Series : The Faiths of the Innellan. Wm. Blackwood & Sons : Edin- 
World. Religion of China, by the Rev. George burgh, 1882.) 

Matheson. D. I)., Minister of the Parish of 




APPENDIX. 






APPENDIX A. 


r 

Among the ancient Mexicans, Peruvians, and some of the Indian 
tribes of North and South America, were found fragments of the 
Eden Myth. The Mexicans said that the primeval mother was made 
out of a man's hone, and that she was the mother of twins. 1 2 

The Cherokees supposed that heavenly beings came down and 
made the world, after which they made a man and woman of day* 
The intention of the creators was that men should live always. But 
the Sun, when he passed over, told them that there was not land 
enough, and that people had better die. At length, the daughter of 
the Sun was bitten by a Snake, and died. The Sun, however— 
whom they worshiped as a god—consented that human beings might 
live always. He intrusted to their care a box, charging them that 
they should not open it. However, impelled by curiosity, they 
opened it, contrary to the injunction of the Sun, and the spirit it 
contained escaped, and then the fate of all men ivas decided, that they 
must die. 3 

The inhabitants of the New World had a legend of a Deluge, 
which destroyed the human race, excepting a few who were saved in 
i boat, which landed on a mountain , 4 They also related that birds 
were sent out of the ark, for the purpose of ascertaining if the flood 
was abating. 5 

The ancient Mexicans had the legend of the confusion of tongues, 
and related the whole story as to how the gods destroyed the tower 
which mankind was building so as to reach unto heaven. 8 

The Mexicans, and several of the Indian tribes of North America, 
believe in the doctrine of Metempsychosis, or the transmigration of 
souls from one body into another. 7 This, as we have already seen, 8 
was universally believed in the Old World. 

The legend of the man being swalloived by a fish, and, after a 


1 Baring-Gould’s Legends of the Patriarchs, 
p. 46. 

2 Sqnire's Serpent Symbol, p. 67. 

3 Ibid. Here we see the parallel to the 

Grecian fable of Epimetheus and Pandora. 

* Brin ton : Myths of the New World, p. 


203. Higgins : Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 27. 

5 Ibid. 

« Brinton : Myths of the New World, p. 204. 

7 See Chapter V. 

8 See Ibid, and Chambers’s Encyclo., art. 
“ Transmigration .” 


533 





534 


APPENDIX. 


three days’ sojourn in his belly, coming out safe and sound, was 
found among the Mexicans and Peruvians. 1 

The ancient Mexicans, and some Indian tribes, practiced Circum¬ 
cision , which was common among all Eastern nations of the Old 
World. 2 3 

They also had a legend to the effect that one of their holy per¬ 
sons commanded the sun to stand still.* This, as we have already 
seen, 4 * was a familiar legend among the inhabitants of the Old 
World. 

The ancient Mexicans were fire-zvorshipers j so were the ancient 
Peruvians. They kept a fire continually burning on an altar, just as 
the fire-worshipers of the Old World were in the habit of doing. 2 
They were also Sun-zvorshipers, and had “ temples of the Sun.” 6 

The Tortoise-myth was found in the New World. 7 8 Now, in the 
Old World, the Tortoise-myth belongs especially to India , and the 
idea is developed there in a variety of forms. The tortoise that 
holds the world is called in Sanscrit Kura-mraja, “King.of the 
Tortoises,” and many Hindoos believe to this day that the world 
rests on its back. “ The striking analogy between the Tortoise- 
myth of North America and India,” says Mr. Tyler, “is by no 
means a matter of new observation ; it was indeed remarked upon 
by Father Lafitau nearly a century and a half ago. Three great 
features of the Asiatic stories are found among the North American 
Indians, in the fullest and clearest development. The earth is sup¬ 
ported on the back of a huge floating tortoise, the tortoise sinks 
under the water and causes a deluge, and the tortoise is conceived 
as being itself the earth, floating upon the face of the deep.” 6 

We have also found among them the belief in an Incarnate 
God born of a virgin ; 9 the One God worshiped in the form of a 
Trinity ; 10 * the crucified Blaclc god ; u the descent into hell ; 12 the 
resurrection and ascension into heaven, 13 all of which is to be found 
in the oldest Asiatic religions. We also found monastic habits— 
friars and nuns. 14 


1 See Chapter XI. 

2 See Chapter X. 

3 See Chapter XI. 

* Ibid. 

6 See Early Hist. Mankind, p. 252; Squire’s 
Serpent Symbol; and Prescott: Con. Peru. 

6 See Ibid., and the Andes and the Ama¬ 
zon, p. 454. 

7 See Early Hist. Mankind, p. 342. 

8 Ibid. 

9 See Chapter XII. 

10 See Chapter XXV. 

Sec Chapter XX. 

Mr. Prescott, speaking of the Pyramid of 

Cholula, in his Mexican History, says : “ On 


the summit stood a sumptuous temple, in which 
was the image of the mystic deity ( Quetzal - 
coatle), with ebon features, unlike the fair com¬ 
plexion which he bore upon earth.” And 
Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie says (in Cities of the 
Ancient World, p. 180): “From the w'oolly 
texture of the hair, I am inclined to assign to 
the Buddha of India, the Fuhi of China, the 
Sommonacom of the Siamese, the Xaha of the 
Japanese, and the Quetzalcoatle of the Mexi¬ 
cans, the same, and indeed an African, or 
rather Nubian, origin.” 

12 See Chapter XXII. 

13 See Chapter XXIII. 

14 See Chapter XXVI. 



APPENDIX. 


535 


The Mexicans denominated their high-places, sacred houses, 
or “ Houses of God.” The corresponding sacred structures of the 
Hindoos are called “ God’s House.” 1 

Many nations of the East entertained the notion that there were 
nine heavens , and so did the ancient Mexicans. 2 * 

There are few things connected with the ancient mythology of 
America more certain than that there existed in that country before 
its discovery by Columbus, extreme veneration for the Serpent .* 
Now, the Serpent was venerated and worshiped throughout the 
East. 4 

The ancient Mexicans and Peruvians, and many of the Indian 
tribes, believed the Sun and Moon not only to be brother and sister, 
but man and wife ; so, likewise, among many nations of the Old 
World was this belief prevalent. 5 The belief in were-wolves, or man- 
wolves, man-tigers, man-hyenas, and the like, which was almost 
universal among the nations of Europe, Asia and Africa, was also 
found to be the case among South American tribes. 0 The idea of 
calling the earth “ mother,” was common among the inhabitants of 
both the Old and New Worlds. 7 “ In the mythology of Finns, 
Lapps, and Esths, Earth-Mother is a divinely honored personage. 
It appears in China, where Heaven and Earth are called in the 
Slinking —one of their sacred books—“Father and Mother of all 
things.” 

Among the native races of America the Earth-Mother is one of 
the great personages of mythology. The Peruvians worshiped her as 
Mama-Phacha, or Earth-Mother. The Caribs, when there was an 
earthquake, said it was their mother-earth dancing, and signi¬ 
fying to them to dance and make merry likewise, which they accord¬ 
ingly did. 6 

It is well-known that the natives of Africa, when there is an 
eclipse of the sun or moon, believe that it is being devoured by some . 
great monster, and that they, in order to frighten and drive it 
away, beat drums and make noises in other ways. So, too, the 
rude Moguls make a clamor of rough music to drive the at¬ 
tacking Arachs (Rahu) from Sun or Moon. 9 

The Chinese, when there is an eclipse of the Sun or Moon, 
proceed to encounter the ominous monster with gongs and bells. 10 

The ancient Romans Hung firebrands into the air, and blew 
trumpets, and clanged brazen pots and pans. 11 Even as late as the 

1 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 77. 6 Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 280, and 


2 Ibid. p. 109. 

3 See Ferguson’s Tree and Serpent Worship, 


Squire’s Serpent Symbol. 


and Squire’s Serpent Symbol. 

4 See Ibid. 

* See Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 


7 Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 294, and 
Squire’s Serpent Symbol. 


8 Tylbr : Primitive Culture, vol. i. pp. 295, 
29G. 


2(31, and Squire’s Serpent Symbol. 


» Ibid. p. 300. 10 Ibid. " Ibid. p. 301. 





536 


APPENDIX. 


% 


seventeenth century, the Irish or Welsh, during eclipses, ran about 
beating kettles and pans. 1 Among the native races of America was 
to be found the same superstition. The Indians would raise a 
frightful howl, and shoot arrows into the sky to drive the monsters 
off.'" The Caribs, thinking that the demon Maboya, hater of all 
light, was seeking to devour the Sun and Moon, would dance and 
howl in concert all night long to scare him away. The Peruvians, 
imagining such an evil spirit in the shaj^e of a monstrous beast, 
raised the like frightful din when the Moon was eclipsed, shouting, 
sounding musical instruments, and beating the dogs to join their 
howl to the hideous chorus. 3 

The starry band that lies like a road across the sky, known as 
the milky ivay, is called by the Basutos (a South African tribe of 
savages), “The Way of the Gods ;” the Ojis (another African tribe 
of savages), say it is the “ Way of Spirits,” which souls go up to 
heaven by. North American tribes know it as “the Path of the 
Master of Life,” the “Path of Spirits,” “the Load of Souls,” where 
they travel to the land beyond the grave. 4 

It is almost a general belief among the inhabitants of Africa, 
and was so among the inhabitants of Europe and Asia, that 
monkeys were once men and women, and that they can even now 
really speak, but judiciously hold their tongues, lest they should be 
made to work. This idea was found as a serious matter of belief, 
in Central and South America. 6 “The Bridge of the Dead,” 
which is one of the marked myths of the Old World, was found in 
the New. 6 

It is well known that the natives of South America told the 
Spaniards that inland there was to be found a fountain, the waters 
of which turned old men back into youths, and how Juan Ponce de 
Leon fitted out two caravels, and went to seek for this “Fountain 
of Youth.” Now, the “Fountain of Youth” is known to the 
mythology of India. 7 

The myth of foot-prints stamped into the rocks by gods or 
mighty men, is to be found among the inhabitants of Europe, Asia, 
and Africa. Egyptians, Greeks, Brahmans, Buddhists, Moslems, 
and Christians, have adopted it as relics each from their own 
point of view, and Mexican eyes could discern in the solid rock at 
Tlanepantla the mark of hand and foot left by the mighty Quet- 
zalcoatle. 8 


* lylor; Primitive Culture, vol. i! p. 301. 
2 Ibid. p. 296. 

2 Ibid. 

* Ibid. p. 234. * 

6 Ibid. p. 239 and 343. 


6 Early Hist. Mankind, pp. 357 and 361. 

7 Ibid. p. 361. 

The legend of the “Elixir of Life” of the 
"Western "World, was well-known in China. 
(Buckley : Cities of the Ancient World, p. 167.) 

8 Ibid. p. 118, and Squire’s Serpent Symbol. 




APPENDIX. 


537 


The Incas, in order to preserve purity of race, married their 
own sisters, as did the Kings of Persia,'and other Oriental nations. 1 2 

The Peruvian embalming of the royal dead takes us back to 
tyypt * the burning of the wives of the deceased Incas reveals 
India j the singularly patriarchical character of the whole Peruvian 
policy is like that of China in the olden time ; while the system of 
espionage, of tranquillity, of physical well-being, and the iron-like 
immovability in which their whole social frame was cast, bring be¬ 
fore us Japan —as it was a very few years ago. In fact, there is 
something strangely Japanese in the entire cultus of Peru as de¬ 
scribed by all writers. 8 

The dress and costume of the Mexicans, and their sandals, 
resemble the apparel and sandals worn in early ages in the East. 3 

Mexican priests were represented with a Serpent twined around 
their heads, so were Oriental kings. 4 * The Mexicans had the head 
of a rhinoceros among their paintings, 6 and also the head of an 
elephant on the body of a man. 6 Now, these animals were un¬ 
known in America, but well known in Asia; and what is more 
striking still is the fact that the man with the elephant’s head is 
none other than the Ganesa of India ; the God of Wisdom. Hum¬ 
boldt, who copied a Mexican painting of a man with an elephant’s 
head, remarks that “it presents some remarkable and apparently 
7iot accidental resemblances with the Hindoo Ganesa.” 

The horse and the ass, although natives of America, 7 became 
extinct on the Western Continent in an early period of the earth’s 
history, yet the Mexicans had, among their hieroglyphics, repre¬ 
sentations of both these animals, which show that it must have 
been seen in the old world by the author of the hieroglyph. When 
the Mexicans saw the horses which the Spaniards brought over, 
they were greatly astonished, and when they saw the Spaniards on 
horseback, they imagined man and horse to be one. 

Certain of the temples of India abound with sculptural repre¬ 
sentations of the symbols of Phallic Worship. Turning now to the 
temples of Central America , which in many respects exhibit a 
strict correspondence with those in India, we find precisely the same 
symbols, separate and hi combination A 

We have seen that many of the religious conceptions of America 
are identical with those of the Old World, and that they are em- 


1 Fusang, p. 56. 

2 Ibid. p. 55. 

3 Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 181. 

4 Ibid., and Squire’s Serpent Symbol. 

6 Mexican Antiq., vol. vi. p. 180. 

8 Early Hist. Mankind, p. 311. 

7 The traveler, James Orton, found fossil 

bones of an extinct species of the horse, the mas¬ 


todon, and other animals, near Punin, in South 
America, all of which had passed away before 
the arrival of the human species. This native 
American horse was succeeded, in after ages, 
by the countless herds descended from a few 
introduced with the Spanish colonists. (See 
the Andes and the Amazon, pp. 154, 155.) 

8 Serpent Symbol, p. 47. 



538 


APPENDIX. 


bodied or symbolized under the same or cognate forms ; and it is 
confidently asserted that a comparison and analysis of her primitive 
systems, in connection with those of other parts of the globe, 
philosophically conducted, would establish the grand fact, that in 
all their leading elements, and in many of their details, they are 
essentially the same. 1 

The architecture of many of the most ancient buildings in South 
America resembles the Asiatic. Around Lake Titicaca are massive 
monuments, which speak of a very ancient and civilized nation. 2 

R. Spence Hardy, says : 

“ The ancient edifices of Chi Chen, in Central America, bear a striking re¬ 
semblance to the topes of India. The shape of one of the domes, its apparent 
size, the small tower on the summit, the trees growing on the sides, the appear¬ 
ance of masonry here and there, the style of the ornaments, and the small door¬ 
way at the base, are so exactly similar to what I had seen at Anuradhapura, 
that to hen, my eye first fell upon the engravings of these remarkable ruins, 1 supposed 
that they were presented in illustration of the ddgobas of Ceylon .” 3 

E* G-. Squire, speaking of this, says : 

“The Bud’hist temples of Southern India, and of the islands of the Indian 
Archipelago, as described to us by the learned members of the Asiatic Society, 
and the numerous writers on the religion and antiquities of the Hindoos, corre¬ 
spond, with great exactness, in all their essential and in many of their minor 
features, with those of Central America .” 4 

Structures of a pyramidal style, which are common in India, 
were also discovered in Mexico. The pyramid tower of Cholula 
was one of these. 5 

Sir R. Kir Porter writes as follows : 

“ What striking analogies exist between the monuments of the old continents 
and those of the ToiHecs, who, arriving on Mexican soil, built several of these 
colossal structures, truncated pyramids, divided by layers, like the temple of 
Belus at Babylon. Whence did they take the model of these edifices ? Were they of 
the Mongolian race? Did they descend from a common stock with the Chinese, the 
Hiong-nu, and the Japanese ? 6 

The similarity in features of the Asiatic and the American race 
is very striking.- Alexander de Humboldt, speaking of this, says : 

“There are striking contrasts between the Mongol and American races .” 1 
“ Over a million and a half of square leagues, from the Terra del Fuego islands 
to the River St. Lawrence and Behring’s Straits, we are struck at the first 
glance with the general resemblance in the features of the inhabitants. We 
think we perceive that they all descended from the same stock, notwithstanding the 
enormous diversity of language which separates them from one another .” 8 


1 Serpent Symbol, p. 193. 3 See Ibid. 

2 The Andes and the Amazon, p. 454. « Travels in Persia, vol. ii. p. 280. 

3 Eastern Monachism, p. 222. 7 New Spain, vol. i. p. 136. 

4 Serpent Symbol, p. 43. 8 Ibid. p. 141. 




APPENDIX. 


539 


“ This analogy is particularly evident in the color of the skin and hair, in the de¬ 
fective beard, high cheek-bones, and in the direction of the eyes .” 1 

Dr. Morton gays : 

“ In reflecting on the aboriginal races of America, wc are at once met by the 
striking fact, that their physical characters are wholly independent of all climatic 
or known physical influences. Notwithstanding their immense geographical dis¬ 
tribution, embracing every variety of climate, it is acknowledged by all travel¬ 
lers, that there is among this people a prevailing type, around which all the 
tribes—north, south, east and west—cluster, though varying within prescribed 
limits. With trifling exceptions, all our American Indians bear to each other 
some degree of family resemblance, quite as strong, for example, as that seen at 
the present day among full-blooded Jews .” 2 

James Orton, the traveler, was also struck with the likeness of 
the American Indians to the Chinese, including the flatted nose. 
Speaking of the Zaparos of the Napo River, lie says : 

"‘The Zaparos in physiognomy somewhat resemble the Chinese, having a 
middle stature, round face, small eyes set angularly, and a broad, flat nose .” 3 

Oscar Paschel says : 

“The obliquely-set, eyes and prominent cheek-bones of the inhabitants of 
Ycragua w T ere noticed by Monitz Wagner, and according to his description, out 
of four Bayano Indians from Darien, three had thoroughly Mongolian features, 
including the flatted nose.” 

In 1866, an officer of the Sharpshooter, the first English man- 
of-war which entered the Parana River in Brazil, remarks in almost 
the same words of the Indians of that district, that their features 
vividly reminded him of the Chinese. Burton describes the Bra¬ 
zilian natives at the falls of Cachauhy as having thick, round Kal¬ 
muck heads, flat Mongol faces, wide, very prominent cheek bones, 
oblicpie and sometimes narrow-slit Chinese eyes, and slight mus¬ 
taches. 

Another traveler, J. J. Von Tscliudi, declares in so many 
words that he has seen Chinese whom at the first glance he mistook 
for Botocudos, and that since then he has been convinced that the 
American race ought not to be separated from the Mongolian. His 
predecessor, St. Hilaire, noticed narrow, obliquely-set eyes and 
broad noses among the Malali of Brazil. Reinhold Hensel says of 
the Coroados, that their features are of Mongoloid type, due espe¬ 
cially to the prominence of the cheek-bones, but that the oblique 
position of the eyes is not perceptible. Yet the oblique opening of 
the eye, which forms a good though not an essential characteristic 
of the Mongolian nations, is said to be characteristic of all the Gua¬ 
rani tribes in Brazil. Even in the extreme south, among the 


i New Spain, vol. i. p. 153. 2 Types of Mankind, p. 273. 

3 The Andes and the Amazon, p. 170. 




540 


APPENDIX. 

Hiullitches of Patagonia, King saw a great many with obliquely set 
eyes. Those writers who separate the Americans as a peculiar race 
fail to give distinctive characters, common to them all, which dis¬ 
tinguish them from the Asiatic Mongols. All the tribes have stiff, 
long hair, cylindrical in section. The beard and hair of the body 
is always scanty or totally absent. The color of the skin varies con¬ 
siderably, as might be expected in a district of 110° of latitude; it 
ranges from a light South European darkness of complexion among 
the Botocudos, of the deepest dye among the Ayrnara, or to copper 
red in the Sonor tribes. But no one has tried to draw limits 
between races on account of these shades of color, especially as they 
are of every conceivable gradation. 1 

Charles G. Leland says : 

The Tunguse, Mongolians, and a great part of the Turkish race formed origi¬ 
nal^, according to all external organic tokens, as well as the elements of their 
language, but one people, closely allied with the Esquimaux, the Skraling , or 
dwarf of the Norseman, and the races of the New World. This is the irrefutable 
result to which all the more recent inquiries in anatomy and pl^siology, as well 
as comparative philology and history, have conduced. All the aboriginal Ameri¬ 
cans have those distinctive tokens which forcibly recall tlieir neighbors dwelling 
on the other side of Behring’s Straits. They have the four-cornered head, high 
cheek-bones, heavy jaws, large angular eye-cavities, and a retreating forehead. 
The skulls of the oldest Peruvian graves exhibit the same tokens as the heads of 
the nomadic tribes of Oregon and California .” 2 It is very certain that thousands 
of American Indians, especially those of small stature or of dwarfish tribes, bear 
a most extraordinary likeness to Mongols .” 3 

John D. Baldwin, in his “ Ancient America ,” says : 

“ I find myself more and more inclined to believe that the wild Indians of the 
North came originally I rom Asia, where the race to which they belong seems 
still represented by the Koraks and Cookchees, found in that part of Asia which 
extends to Behring’s Straits .” 4 

Hon. Charles D. Poston, late commissioner of the United States 
of America in Asia, in a work entitled, “ The Par sees ,” speaking of 
an incident which took place “beyond the Great Wall,” says : 

“A Mongolian came riding up on a little black pony, followed by a servant 
on a camel, rocking like a windmill. He stopped a moment to exchange panto¬ 
mimic salutations. He was full of electricity, and alive with motion; the blood 
was warm in his veins, and the fire was bright in his eye. I could have sworn 
that he was an Apache ; every action, motion and look reminded me of my old 
enemies and neighbors in Arizona. They are the true descendants of the nomadic 
Tartars of Asia and preserve every instinct of the race. He shook hands friend- 
lily but timidly, keeping all the time in motion like an Apache .” 5 


1 Paschel : Races of Man, pp. 402-404. 

2 Fusang, p. 7. 

* Ibid. 118. 


4 Quoted in Ibid. 

6 Quoted in Ibid. p. 94. 




APPENDIX. 


041 


That the continents of Asia and America were at one time joined 
together by an isthmus, at the place where the channel of Behring’s 
straits is now found, is a well known fact. That the severance 
of Asia from America was, geologically speaking, very recent, is 
shown by the fact that not only the straits, but the sea which 
bears the name of Behring, is extraordinarily shallow, so much so, 
indeed, that whalers lie at anchor in the middle of it. 1 This is evi¬ 
dently the manner in which America was peopled. * 3 

During the Champlain period in the earth’s history the climate 
of the northern portion of the American continent, instead of being 
frigid, and the country covered with sheets of ice, was more like the 
climate of the Middle States of the present day. Tropical animals 
went North, and during the Terrace period—which followed the 
Champlain—the climate changed to frigid, and many of these 
tropical animals were frozen in the ice, and some of their remains 
were discovered centuries after. 

It was probably during the time when the climate in those 
northern regions was warm, that the aborigines crossed over, and 
even if they did not do so at that time, we must not be startled at 
the idea that Asiatic tribes crossed over from Asia to America, when 
the country was covered with ice. There have been nations who 
lived in a state of nudity among ice-fields, and, even at the present 
day, a naked nation of fishermen still exist in Terra del Fuego, 
where the glaciers stretch down to the sea, and even into it. 3 

Chas. Darwin, during his voyage round the world in II. M. S. 
Beagle, was particularly struck with the hardiness of the Fuegians, 
who go in a state of nudity, or almost entirely so. He says : 

“Among these central tribes the men generally have an otter-skin, or some 
small scrap, about as large as a pocket-handkerchief, to cover their nakedness, 
which is barely sufficient to cover their backs as low down as their loins .” 4 

One day while going on shore near Wollaston Island, Mr. Darwin’s 
party pulled alongside a canoe which contained six Fuegians, who 
were, he says, “ quite naked, and even one full-grown woman was ab¬ 
solutely so. It was raining heavily, and the fresh water, together with 
the spray, trickled down her body. In another harbor not far dis¬ 
tant, a woman, who was suckling a recently-born child, came one 


1 Paschel : Races of Man, pp. 400, 401. 

3 To those who may think that the Old 
World might have been peopled from the new, 

we refer to Oscar Paschel's “Races of Man,” 
p. 32. The author, in speaking on this subject, 
says : “ There at one time existed a great con¬ 
tinent, to which belonged Madagascar and 
perhaps portions of Eastern Africa, the Mal¬ 
dives and Laccadives, and also the Island of 


Ceylon, which was never attached to India, 
perhaps even the island of Celebes in the far 
East, which possesses a perplexing fauna, with 
semi-African features.” On this continent, 
which was situated in the now Indian Ocean, 
must we look for the cradle of humanity. 

3 Paschel : Races of Man, p. 31. 

4 Darwin’s Journal, p. 213. 




542 


APPENDIX. 


day alongside the vessel, and remained there ont of mere curiosity, 
whilst the sleet fell and thawed on her naked bosom, and on the 
skin of her naked baby I” 1 

This was during the winter season. 

A few pages farther on Mr. Darwin says that on the night of the 
22d December, a small family of Fuegiaus—who were living in a 
cove near the quarters—“ soon joined our party round a blazing 
fire. We w T ere well clothed, and though sitting close to the fire were 
far from too warm ; yet these naked savages, though further off, 
were observed, to our great surprise, to be streaming with perspira¬ 
tion at undergoing such a scorching. They seemed, however, very 
well pleased, and all joined in the chorus of the seamen’s songs ; 
but the manner in which they were invariably a little behind was 
quite ludicrous.” 2 

The Asiatics who first crossed over to the American continent 
were evidently in a very barbarous stage, although they may have 
known how to produce fire, and use bows and arrows. 3 The tribe 
who inhabited Mexico at the time it was discovered by the Span¬ 
iards was not the first to settle there; they had driven out a peo¬ 
ple, and had taken the country from them. 4 

That Mexico was visited by Orientals, who brought and planted 
their religion there, in a comparatively recent period, is very proba¬ 
ble. Mr. Chas. 0. Leland, who has made this subject a special 
study, says : 

“While tlie proofs of the existence or residence of Orientals in America are 
extremely vague and uncertain, and while they are supported only by coinci¬ 
dences, the antecedent probability of their having come hither, or having been 
able to come, is stronger than the Norse discovery of the New World, or even 
than that of Columbus himself would appear to be. Let the reader take a map 
of the Northern Pacific; let him ascertain for himself the fact that from Kamt- 
sclialka, which was well known to the old Chinese, to Alaska the journey is far 
less arduous than from China proper, and it will be seen that there was in all 
probability intercourse of some kind between the continents. In early times 
the Chinese were bold and skillful navigators, to whom the chain of the Aleutian 
Islands would have been simply like stepping-stones over a shallow brook to a 
child. For it is a well ascertained fact, that a sailor in an open boat might cross 
from Asia to America by the Aleutian Islands in summer-time, and hardly ever 


1 Darwin’s Journal, p. 213. 

2 Ibid. pp. 220, 221. 

3 This is seen from the fact that they 
did not know the use of iron. Had they 
known the use of this metal, they would 
surely have gone to work and dug into their 
mountains, which are abundantly filled with 
ore, and made use of it. 

4 The Aztecs were preceded by the Tol- 
tecs, Chichimecks, and the Nabualtecs. (Hum¬ 
boldt’s New Spain, p. 133, vol. i.) 

“The races of barbarians which success¬ 


ively followed each other from the north to 
the south always murdered, hunted down, and 
subdued the previous inhabitants, and formed 
in course of time a new' social and political 
life upon the ruins of the old system, to be 
again destroyed and renewed in a few cen¬ 
turies, by a new invasion of barbarians. 
The later native conquerors in the New World 
can, of course, no more be considered in the 
light of original inhabitants than the present 
races of men in the Old World.” 



APPENDIX. 


543 


be out of sight of land, and this in a part of the sea generally abounding in 
fish, as is proved by the fishermen who inhabit many of these islands, on which 
fresh water is always to be found /’ 1 

♦ 

Colonel Barclay Kennon, formerly of the U. S. North Pacific 
surveying expedition, says : 

"From the result of the most accurate scientific observation, it is evident 
that the voyage from China to America can be made without being out of sight 
of land more than a few hours at any one time. To a landsman, unfamiliar 
with long voyages, the mere idea of being ‘ alone on the wide, wide sea,’with 
nothing but water visible, even for an hour, conveys a strange sense of desola¬ 
tion, of daring, and of adventure. But in truth it is regarded as a mere trifle, 
not only by regular seafaring men, but even by the rudest races in all parts of the 
world ; and I have no doubt that from the remotest ages, and on all shores, fish¬ 
ermen in open boats, canoes, or even coracles, guided simply by the stars and 
currents, have not hesitated to go far out of sight of land. At the present day, 
natives of many of the South Pacific Islands undertake, without a compass, and 
successfully, long voyages which astonish even a regular Jack-tar, who is not 
often astonished at anything. If this can be done by savage-s, it hardly seems 
possible that the Asiatic-American voyage was not successfully performed by 
people of advanced scientific culture, who had, it is generally believed, the com¬ 
pass, and who from an early age were proficient in astronomy .” 2 * 

Prof. Max Muller, it would seem, entertains similar ideas to our 
own, expressed as follows : 

"In their (the American Indians’) languages, as well as in their religions, 
traces may possibly still be found, before it is too late, of pre-historic migrations 
of men from the primitive Asiatic to the American Continent, either across the 
stepping-stones of the Aleutic bridge in the North, or lower South, by drifting with 
favorable winds from island to island, till the hardy canoe was landed or wrecked 
on the American coast, never to return again to the Asiatic home from which it had 
started”* 

It is very evident then, that the religion and mythology of the 
Old and New Worlds, have, in part, at least, a common origin. 
Lord Kingsborough informs us that the Spanish historians of the 
16th century were not disposed to admit that America had ever been 
colonized from the West, “ chiefly on account of the state in which 
religion was found in the new continent.” 4 

And Mr. Tylor says : 

"Among the mass of Central American traditions . . . there occur certain 
passages in the story of an early emigration of the Quiche race, which have 
much the appearance of vague and broken stories derived in some way from 
high Northern latitudes .” 5 

Mr. McCulloh, in his “Researches,” observes that : 


1 Fnsang, p. 56. 

2 Quoted in Fueang, p. 71. 

* Science of Religion, p. 121. 


4 Mexican Antiq., vol. vi. p. 181. 
6 Early Hiet. Mankind, p. 307. 




544 


APPENDIX. 


“ In analyzing many parts of their (the ancient Americans J institutions, cspeci- 
ally those belonging to their cosmogonal history, their religious superstitions, and 
astronomical computations, we have, in these abstract matters, found abundant 
proof to assert that there has been formerly a connection between the people of 
the two continents. Their communications, however, have taken place at a 
very remote period of time; for those matters in which they more decidedly 
coincide, are undoubtedly those which belong to the earliest history of mankind.” 

It is unquestionably from India that we have derived, partly 
through the Persians and other nations, most of our metaphysical 
and theological doctrines, as well as our nursery tales. Who then 
can deny that these same doctrines and legends have been handed 
down by oral tradition to the chief of the Indian tribes, and in this 
way have been preserved, although perhaps in an obscure and imper¬ 
fect manner, in some instances at least, until the present day ? The 
facts which we have before us, with many others like them which 
are to be had, point with the greatest likelihood to a common 
fatherland, the cradle of all nations, from which they came, taking 
these traditions with them. 


APPENDIX B. 


Commencing at the farthest East we shall find the ancient re¬ 
ligion of China the same as that which was universal in all quarters 
of the globe, viz., an adoration of the Sun, Moon, Stars and ele¬ 
ments. 1 That the Chinese religion was in one respect the same as 
that of India, is seen from the fact that they named succes¬ 
sive days for the same seven planets that the Hindoos did. 2 The 
ancient books of the Chinese show that astronomy was not only 
understood by them at a very early period, but that it formed an 
important branch of state policy, and the basis of public ceremonies. 
Eclipses are accurately recorded which occurred twenty centuries be¬ 
fore Jesus; and the Confucian books refer continually to observa¬ 
tions of the heavenly bodies and the rectification of the calendar. 
The ancient Chinese astronomers seem to have known precisely 
the excess of the solar year beyond 365 days. The religion of China, 


1 “ All Paganism is at bottom a worship of 
nature in some form or other, and in all Pagan 
religions the deepest and most awe-inspiring 
attribute of nature was its power of repro¬ 
duction.” (Encyclo.Brit.,art. “Christianity.”) 

2 In Montfaucon's L’Antiquite Expliquee 
(voh i.), may be seen a representation of the 
seven planets personified. It was by such 


personifications that the real objects worshiped 
became unknown. At first the real Sun, 
Moon, Stars, &c., would be worshiped, but as 
soon as man personified them, other terms 
would be introduced, and peculiar rites ap¬ 
propriated to each, so that in time they came 
to be considered as so many different dei¬ 
ties. 




APPENDIX. 


545 


under the emperors who preceded the first dynasty, is an enigma. 
The notices in the only authentic works, the King, are on this 
point scanty, vague, and obscure. It is difficult to separate what is 
spoken with reference to the science of astronomy from that which 
may relate to religion, properly so called. The terms of reverence 
and respect, with which the heavenly bodies are spoken of in the Shoo - 
King, seem to warrant the inference that those terms have more 
than a mere astronomical meaning, and that the ancient religion of 
China partook of star-worship, one of the oldest heresies in the 
world . 1 

In India the Sun, Moon, Stars and the powers of Nature were 
worshiped and personified, and each quality, mental and physical, 
had its emblem, which the Brahmans taught the ignorant to regard 
as realities, till the Pantheon became crowded. 

“ Our Aryan ancestors learned to look up to the sky, the Sun, 
and the dawn, and there to see the presence of a living power, half- 
revealed, and half-hidden from their senses, those senses which were 
always postulating something beyond what they could grasp. They 
went further still. In the bright sky they perceived an Illuminator, 
in the all-encircling firmament an Embracer , in the roar of the 
thunder or in the voice of the storm they felt the presence of a 
Shouter and of furious Strikers, and out of the rain they created an 
lndra, or giver of rain.” 2 

Prof. Monier Williams, speaking of “the hymns of the Veda,” 
says : 

“ To what deities, it will be asked, were the prayers and hymns of these col¬ 
lections addressed ? The answer is: They worshiped those physical forces before 
which all nations , if guided solely by the light of nature, have in the early period 
of their life, instinctively bowed down, and before which even the most civilized 
and enlightened have always been compelled to bend in awe and reverence, if 
not in adoration .” 3 

The following sublime description of Night is an extract from 
the Vedas, made by Sir William Jones : 

“ Night approaches, illumined with stars and planets, and, looking on all sides 
with numberless eyes, overpowers all meaner lights. The immortal goddess 
pervades the firmament, covering the low valleys and shrubs, the lofty moun¬ 
tains and trees, but soon she disturbs the gloom with celestial effulgence. Ad¬ 
vancing with brightness, at length she recalls her sister Morning; and the 
nightly shade gradually melts away. May she at this time be propitious! She, 
in whose early watch we may calmly recline in our mansions, as birds repose 
upon the trees. Mankind now sleep in their towns; now herds and flocks peace¬ 
fully slumber, and the winged creatures, swift falcons, and vultures. O Night! 


1 Thornton : Hist. China, vol. i. pp. 14, 49 2 Max Muller: The Science of Religion, 

and 50. P- 293. 

8 Indian Wisdom, p. 10. 





546 


APPENDIX. 


avert from us the she-wolf and the wolf; and, oh! suffer us to pass thee in 
soothing rest! Oh, morn! remove in due time this black, yet visible over¬ 
whelming darkness, which at present enfolds me, as thou enablest me to remove 
the cloud of their dells. Daughter of Heaven, I approach thee with praise, as 
the cow approaches her milker; accept, O Night! not the hymn only, but the 
oblation of thy suppliant, who prays that his foes may be subdued.” 

Some of the principal gods of the Hindoo Pantheon arc, Dyaus 
(the Sky), Indra (the Rain-giver), Sfirya (the Sun), the Maruts 
(Winds), Aditi, (the Dawn), Parvati (the Earth,) 1 and Siva, her 
consort. The worship of the Sun is expressed in a variety of ways, 
and by a multitude of fanciful names. One of the principal of 
these is Crishna. The following is a prayer addressed to him : 

“Be auspicious to my lay, O Chrishna, thou only God of the seven heavens, 
who swayest the universe through the immensity of space and matter. O uni¬ 
versal and resplendent Sun ! Thou mighty governor of the heavens ; thou 
sovereign regulator of the connected whole; thou sole and universal deity of 
mankind; thou gracious and Supreme Spirit; my noblest and most happy in¬ 
spiration is thy praise and glory. Thy power 1 will praise, for thou art my 
sovereign Lord, whose bright image continually forces itself on my attention, 
eager imagination. Thou art the Being to whom heroes pray in perils of war; 
nor are their supplications vain, when thus they pray; whether it be when thou 
illuminest the eastern region with thy orient light, when in thy meridian 
splendor, or when thou majestically descendest in the West.” 

Crishna is made to sav : 

“I am the light in the Sun and Moon, far, far beyond the darkness. I 
am the brilliancy in flame, the radiance in all that’s radiant, and the light of 
lights.” 2 

In the Maha-hliarata y Crishna, who having become the son of 
Aditi (the Dawn), is called Vishnu , another name for the Sun. 3 
The demon Putana assaults the child Crishna, which identifies him 
with Hercules, the Sun-god of the Greeks. 4 In his Solar character 
he must again be the slayer of the Dragon or Black-snake Kulnilca , 
the “ Old Serpent” with the thousand heads. 5 Crishmvs amours 
with the maidens makes him like Indra, Phoibus, Hercules, Samson, 
Alpheios, Paris and other Sun-gods. This is the hot and fiery Sun 
greeting the moon and the dew, or the Sun with his brides the 
Stars.* * 

Moore, in his Hindu Pantheon, observes : 

“ Although all the Hindu deities partake more or less remotely of the nature 
and character of Surya, or the Sun, and all more or less directly radiate from, 
or merge in, him, yet no one is, I think, so intimately identified with him as 
Vishnu; whether considered in his own person, or in the character of his moat 
glorious Avatara of Crishna. ” 


1 The emblem of Parvati, the “ Mother 
Goddess,” was the Yoni, and that of her con¬ 
sort Siva, the Lingiiam. 

a Williams 1 Hinduism, p. 213. 

8 See Cox : Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. pp. 105 


and 130. 

* Ibid. p. 135. 

6 Ibid. p. 137 

6 See Ibid. p. 83, and Moor's Hindu Pan¬ 
theon, p. 63. 




APPENDIX. 


547 


The ancient religion of Egypt, like that of Hindostan, was 
founded on astronomy, and eminently metaphysical in its character. 
The Egyptian priests were far advanced in the science of astronomy. 
They made astronomy their peculiar study. They knew the figure 
of the earth, and how to calculate solar and lunar eclipses. From 
very ancient time, they had observed the order and movement of 
the stars, and recorded them with the utmost care. Eamses the 
Great, generally called Sesostris, is supposed to have reigned one 
thousand five hundred years before the Christian era, about coeval 
with Moses, or a century later. In the tomb of this monarch was 
found a large massive circle of wrought gold, divided into three 
hundred and sixty-five degrees, and each division marked the rising 
and setting of the stars for each day . 1 This fact proves how early 
they were advanced in astronomy. In their great theories of mutual 
dependence between all things in the universe was included a be¬ 
lief in some mysterious relation between the Spirits of the Stars and 
human souls, so that the destiny of mortals was regulated by the 
motions of the heavenly bodies. This was the origin of the famous 
system of Astrology. From the conjunction of planets at the hour 
of birth, they prophesied what would be the temperament of an 
infant, what life he would live, and what death he would die. Dio¬ 
dorus, w T ho wrote in the century preceding Christ Jesus, says : 

“They frequently foretell with the greatest accuracy what is about to happen 
to mankind; showing the failure or abundance of crops, and the epidemic dis¬ 
eases about to befall men or cattle. Earthquakes, deluges, rising of comets, 
and all those phenomena, the knowledge of which appears impossible to com¬ 
mon comprehensions, they foresee by means of their long continued observa¬ 
tion.” 

P. Le Page Eenouf, who is probably the best authority on the 
religion of ancient Egypt which can be produced, says, in his Ilib- 
bert Lectures : 2 

“The Lectures on the Science of Language, delivered nearly twenty years 
ago by Prof. Max Muller, have, I trust, made us fully understand how, among the 
Indo-European races, the names of the Sun, of Sunrise and Sunset, and of other 
such phenomena, come to be talked of and considered as personages, of whom 
wondrous legends have been told. Egyptian mythology not merely admits, but 
imperatively demands, the same explanation. And this becomes the more evi¬ 
dent when we consider the question how these mythical personages came to be 
invested with the attributes of divinity by men who, like the Egyptians, had so 
lively a sense of the divine.” 

Kenrick, in his “ History of Egypt,” says : 


1 “According to Champollion, the tomb of beings) for every hoar of every month of the 

Ramses Y. at Thebes, contains tables of the year.” (Kenrick’s Egypt, vol. i. p. 456.) 

constellations and of their influence (on human 2 p. 118. 




548 


APPENDIX. 


“We have abundant evidence that the Egyptian theology had its origin in 
the personification of the powers of nature, under male and female attributes, 
and that this conception took a sensible form, such as the mental state of the 
people required, by the identification of these powers with the elements and the 
heavenly bodies, fire, earth, water, the sun and moon, and the Nile. Such ap¬ 
pears everywhere to be the origin of the objective form of polytheism; and it is 
equally evident among the nations most closely allied to the Egyptians by posi¬ 
tion and general character—the Phenicians, the Babylonians, and in remote 
connection, the Indians on the one side and the Greeks on the other.” 

The gods and goddesses of the ancient Persians were also per¬ 
sonifications of the Sun, Moon, Stars, the elements, &c. 

Ormuzd , “The King of Light,” was god of the Firmament, and 
the “Principle of Goodness” and of Truth. He was called “The 
Eternal Source of Sunshine and Light,” “ The Centre of all that 
exists,” “The First-born of the Eternal One,” “The Creator,” 
“The Sovereign Intelligence,” “The All-seeing,” “The Just 
Judge.” He was described as “sitting on the throne of the good 
and the perfect, in regions of pure light,” crowned with rays, and 
with a ring on his finger—a circle being an emblem of infinity; 
sometimes as a venerable, majestic man, seated on a Bull, their 
emblem of creation. 

“ Mithras the Mediator ” was the god-Sun. Their most splendid 
ceremonials were in honor of Mithras. They kept his birth-dav, 
with many rejoicings, on the twenty-fifth of December, when the 
Sun perceptibly begins to return northward, after his long winter 
journey; and they had another festival in his honor, at the vernal 
equinox. Perhaps no religious festival was ever more splendid than 
the “ Annual Salutation of Mithras ,” during which /onty days wero 
set apart for thanksgiving and sacrifice. The procession to salute 
the god was formed long before the rising of the Sun. The High 
Priest was followed by a long train of the Magi, in spotless white 
robes, chanting hymns, and carrying the sacred fire on silver cen¬ 
sers. Then came three hundred and sixty-five youths in scarlet, to 
represent the days of the year and the color of fire. These were 
followed by the Chariot of the Sun, empty, decorated with garlands, 
and drawn by superb white horses harnessed with pure gold. Then 
came a white horse of magnificent size, his forehead blazing with 
gems, in honor of Mithras. Close behind him rode the king, in a 
chariot of ivory inlaid with gold, followed by his royal kindred in 
embroidered garments, and a long train of nobles riding on camels 
richly caparisoned. This gorgeous retinue, facing the East, slowly 
ascended Mount Orontes. Arrived at the summit, the High Priest 
assumed his tiara wreathed with myrtle, and hailed the first rays of 
the rising Sun with incense and prayer. The other Magi gradually 
joined him in singing hymns to Ormuzd, the source of all blessing, 


APPENDIX. 


549 


by whom the radiant Mithras had been sent to gladden the earth 
and preserve the principle of life. Finally, they all joined in one 
universal chorus of praise, while king, princes and nobles, pros¬ 
trated themselves before the orb of day. 

The Hebrews worshiped the Sun, Moon, Stars, and “all the 
host of heaven .” 1 2 El-Shaddai was one of the names given to the 
god Sun. Parkhurst, in his “Hebrew Lexicon,” says, “El was the 
very name the heathens gave to their god Sol, their Lord or Ruler 
of the hosts of heaven.” El, which means “the strong one in 
heaven ”—the Sun, was invoked by the ancestors of all the Semitic 
nations, before there were Babylonians in Babylon, Phenicians in 
Sydon and Tyrus, before there were Jews in Mesopotamia or Jeru¬ 
salem . 3 

The Sun was worshiped by the Hebrews under the names of 
Baal, Moloch, Chemosh, &c.; the Moon was Ashtoreth, the “ Queen 
of Heaven .” 3 

The gods of the ancient Greeks and Romans were the same as 
the gods of the Indian epic poems. We have, for example : Zeu- 
piter (Jupiter), corresponding to Dyaus-pitar (the Heaven-father), 
Juno, corresponding to Parvati (the Mother Goddess), and Apollo, 
corresponding to Crishna (the Sun, the Saviour ). 4 Another name 
for the Sun among those people was Bacchus. An Orphic verse, 
referring to the Sun, says, “ he is called Dionysos (a name of Bacchus) 
because he is carried with a circular motion through the immensely 
extended heavens .” 5 

Dr. Prichard, in his “ Analysis of Egyptian Mythology ,” 6 speak¬ 
ing of the ancient Greeks and Romans, says : 

“ That the worship of the powers of nature, mitigated, indeed, and embel¬ 
lished, constituted the foundation of the Greek and Roman religion, will not be 
disputed by any person who surveys the fables of the Olympian Gods with a 
more penetrating eye than that of a mere antiquarian.” 

M. De Coulanges, speaking of them, says : 

“The Sun, which gives fecundity; the Earth, which nourishes; the Clouds, 
by turns beneficent and destructive,— such were the different powers of which they 
could ma/ce gods. But from each one of these elements thousands of gods were 
created; because the same physical agent, viewed under different aspects, received 
from men different names. The Sun, for example, was called in one place 
Hercules (the glorious); in another, Phoebus (the shining); and still again, Apollo 
(he who drives away night or evil); one called him Hyperion (the elevated being); 
another, Alexicacos (the beneficent); and in the course of time groups of men, 
who had given these various names to the brilliant luminary, no longer saw that 
they had the same god .” 7 


1 See Chapter XI. 

2 Muller : The Science of Relig., p. 190. 

3 See Chapter XI. 

4 See Indian Wisdom, p. 426. 


6 Taylor's Mysteries, p. 163. 

* Page 239. 

7 The Ancient City, p. 162. 

* 1 

i 


N 




APPENDIX. 


f>h 0 


Iiichard Payne Knight says • 

“The primitive religion of the Greeks, like that of all other nations not en¬ 
lightened by Revelation, appears to have been elementary , and to have consisted 
in an indistinct worship of the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Earth, and 
the Waters, or rather, the spirits supposed to preside over these bodies, and 
to direct their motions, and regulate their modes of existence. Every river, 
spring or mountain had its local genius, or peculiar deity; and as men natu¬ 
rally endeavored to obtain the favor of their gods by such means as they feel 
best adapted to win their own, the first worship consisted in offering to them 
certain portions of whatever they held to be most valuable. At the same time, 
the regular motions of the heavenly bodies, the stated returns of summer and 
winter, of day and night, with all the admirable order of the universe, taught 
them to believe in the existence and agency of such superior powers; the irregu¬ 
lar and destructive efforts of nature, such as lightnings and tempests, inunda¬ 
tions and earthquakes, persuaded them that these mighty beings had passions 
and affections similar to their own, and only differed in possessing greater 
strength, power, and intelligence .” 1 

When the Grecian astronomers first declared that the Sun was 
not a person, but a huge hot ball, instantly an outcry arose against 
them. They were called “ blaspheming atheists ,” and from that 
time to the present, when any new discovery is made which seems to 
take away from man his god, the cry of “ Atheist ” is instantly raised. 

If we turn from the ancient Greeks and Romans, and take a look 
still farther West and North, we shall find that the gods of all the 
Teutonic nations were the same as we have seen elsewhere. They 
had Odin or Woden—from whom we have our Wednesday —the Al- 
fader (the Sky), Frigga, the Mother Goddess (theEarth), “Baldur 
the Good,” and Thor—from whom we have our Thursday (per¬ 
sonifications of the Sun), besides innumerable other genii, among 
them Freyja—from whom we have our Friday—and as she was the 
“ Goddess of Love,” we cat fish on that day . 2 

The gods of the ancient inhabitants of what are now called the 
“British Islands” were identically the same. The &«»-god wor¬ 
shiped by the Ancient Druids was called IIu, Belt, Budd and 
Buddu-gre . 3 

The same worship which we have found in the Old World, from 
the farthest East to the remotest West, may also be traced in 
America, from its simplest or least clearly defined form, among the 
roving hunters and squalid Esquimaux of the North, through every 
intermediate stage of development, to the imposing systems of 
Mexico and Peru, where it took a form nearly corresponding that 
which it at one time sustained on the banks of the Ganges, and on 
the plains of Assyria . 4 


1 Ancient Art and Mythology, p. 1. Frigga and Freyja are original 7 ?/ one. 

2 See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities. Though 2 See Myths of the British Druids, p. 11G. 

spoken of in Northern mythology as distinct, * See Squire’s Serpent Symbol. 





APPENDIX. 



Father Acosta, speaking of the Mexicans, say? : 

“ Next to Viracocha, or their Supreme God, that which r/.of.t commonly they 
have, and do adore, is the Sun ; and after, those things which are most remark- 
' able in the celestial or elementary nature, as the Moon, Stars, Wea, and Land. 

“Whoso shall merely look into it, shall find this manner which the Devil 
hath used to deceive the Indians, to be the same wherewith he hath deceived 
the Greeks and Romans, and other ancient Gentiles, giving them to understand 
that these notable creatures, the Sun, Moon, Stars, and elements, had power or 
authority to do good or harm to men .” 1 

We see, then, that the gods and heroes of antiquity were origin¬ 
ally personifications of certain elements of Nature, and that the 
legends of adventures ascribed to them are merely mythical forms 
of describing the phenomena of these elements. 

These legends relating to the elements of Nature, whether they 
had reference to the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, or a certain natural 
phenomenon, became, in the course of time, to be regarded as ac¬ 
counts of men of a high order, who had once inhabited the earth. 
Sanctuaries and temples were erected to these heroes, their bones 
were searched for, and when found—which was always the case— 
were regarded as a great source of strength \,o the town that pos¬ 
sessed them ; all relics of their stay on earth were hallowed, and a 
form of worship was specially adapted to them. 

The idea that heavenly luminaries were inhabited by spirits, of 
a nature intermediate between God and men, first led mortals to 
address prayers to the orbs over which they were supposed to pre¬ 
side. In order to supplicate these deities, when Sun, Moon, and 
Stars were not visible, they made images of them , which the priests 
consecrated with many ceremonies. Then they pronounced solemn 
invocations to draw down the spirits into the statues provided for 
their reception. By this process it was supposed that a mysterious 
connection was established between the spirit and the image, so 
that prayers addressed to one were thenceforth heard by the other. 
This was probably the origin of image worship everywhere. 

The motive of this worship was the same among all nations of 
antiquity, i. e., fear. They supposed that these deities were irri¬ 
tated by the sins of men, but, at the same time, were merciful, 
and capable of being appeased by prayer and repentance; for this 
reason men offered to these deities sacrifices and prayers. Plow 
natural that such should have been the case, for, as Abbe Dubois 
observes: “To the rude, untutored eye, the ‘ Host of Heaven/ 
clothed in that calm beauty which distinguishes an Oriental night, 
might well appear to be instinct with some divine principle, endowed 
with consciousness, and the power to influence, from its throne of 
unchanging splendor on high, the fortunes of transitory mortals.” 


1 Acosta : vol. ii. pp. 303-305. 





552 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX C. 

All the chief stories that we know so well are to be found in all 
times, and in almost all countries. Cinderella, for one, is told in 
the language of every country in Europe, and the same legend is 
found in the fanciful tales related hv the Greek poets ; and still 
further back, it appears in very ancient Hindoo legends. So, again, 
does Beauty a7id the Beast; so does our familiar talc of Jack, the 
Giant-Killer ; so also do a great number of other fairy stories, each 
being told in different countries and in different periods, with so 
much likeness as to show that all the versions came from the same 
source, and yet with enough difference to show that none of the 
versions are directly copied from each other. “ Indeed, when we 
compare the myths and legends of one country with another, and of 
one period with another, we find out how they have come to be so 
much alike, and yet in some things so different. We see that there 
must have been one origin for all these stories, that they must have 
been invented by one people, that this people must have been after¬ 
wards divided, and that each part or division of it must have 
brought into its new home the legends once common to them all, and 
must have shaped and altered these according to the kind of place 
in which they came to live ; those of the North being sterner and 
more terrible, those of the South softer and fuller of light and 
color, and adorned with touches of more delicate fancy.” And this, 
indeed, is really the case. All the chief stories and legends are 
alike, because they were first made by one people ; and all the nations 
in which they are now told in one form or another tell them because 
they are all descended from this one common stock, the Aryan . 

From researches made by Prof. Max Muller, The Eev. George 
W. Cox, and others, in England and Germany, in the science of 
Comparative Mythology, wo begin to see something of these ancient 
forefathers of ours ; to understand what kind of people they were, and 
to find that our fairy stories are really made out of their religion. 

The mind of the Aryan peoples in their ancient home was full 
of imagination. They never ceased to wonder at what they saw and 
heard in the sky and upon the earth. Their language was highly 
figurative, and so the things which struck them with wonder, and 
which they could not explain, were described under forms and 
names which were familiar to them. “Thus, the thunder was to 
them the bellowing of a mighty beast, or the rolling of a great 
chariot. In the lightning they saw a brilliant serpent, or a spear 
shot across the sky, or a great fish darting swiftly through the sea 
of cloud. The clouds were heavenly cows, who shed milk upon 
the earth and refreshed it; or they were webs woven by heavenly 



APPENDIX. 


553 


women who drew water from the fountains on high and poured 
it down as rain.” Analogies which are but fancy to us, were 
realities to these men of past ages. They could see in the water¬ 
spout a huge serpent who elevated himself out of the ocean and 
reached his head to the skies. They could feel, in the pangs 
of hunger, a live creature gnawing within their bodies, and they 
heard the voices of the hill-dwarfs answering in the echo. The Sun, 
the first object which struck them with wonder, was, to them, the 
child of Night ; the Dawn came before he was born, and died as he 
rose in the heavens. He strangled the serpents of the night; he 
went forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber, and like a giant 
to run his course . 1 2 He had to do battle with clouds and storms . 3 
Sometimes his light grew dim under their gloomy veil, and the 
children of men shuddered at the wrath of the hidden Sun . 3 
Sometimes his ray broke forth, only, after brief splendor, to sink 
beneath a deeper darkness ; sometimes he burst forth at the end of 
his course, trampling on the clouds which had dimmed his brilliancy, 
and bathing his pathway with blood . 4 Sometimes, beneath moun¬ 
tains of clouds and vapors, he plunged into the leaden sea . 5 * Some¬ 
times he looked benignly on the face of his mother or his bride who 
came to greet him at his journey’s end . 0 Sometimes he was the 
lord of heaven and of light, irresistible in his divine strength ; 
sometimes he toiled for others, not for himself, in a hard, unwill¬ 
ing servitude . 7 His light and heat might give light and destroy it. p 
His chariot might scorch the regions over which it passed, his flam¬ 
ing fire might burn up all who dared to look with prying eyes into 
his dazzling treasure-house . 9 He might be the child destined to 
slay his parents, or to be united at the last in an unspeakable peace, 
to the bright Dawn who for a brief space had gladdened his path in 
the morning . 10 He might be the friend of the children of men, 
and the remorseless foe of those powers of darkness who had stolen 
away his bride . 11 He might be a warrior whose eye strikes terror 


1 This picture would give us the story of 
Hercules, who strangled the serpent in his 
cradle, and who, in after years, in the form 
of a giant, ran his course. 

2 This would give us St. George killing the 
Dragon. 

3 This would give us the story of the mon¬ 
ster who attempted to devour the Sun, and 
whom the “ untutored savage ” tried to 
frighten away by making loud cries. 

4 This would give us the story of Samson, 
whose strength was renewed at the end of 
his career, and who slew the Philistines—who 
had dimmed his brilliance—aud bathed his 
path with blood. 

5 This would give us the story of Oannes 

or Dagon, who, beneath the clouds of the 


evening sky, plunged into the sea. 

6 This would give us the story of Hercules 
and his bride Idle, or that of Christ Jesus and 
his mother Mary, who were at their side at the 
end of their career. 

7 This would give us the story of the labors 
of Hercules. 

8 This is the Sun as Seva. 

9 Here again we have the Sun as Siva the 
Destroyer. 

10 Here we have Apollo, Acliilleus, Bellero- 
plion and Odysseus. 

11 This would give us the story of Samson, 
who was “ the friend of the children of men, 
and the remorseless foe of those powers of 
darkness ” (the Philistines), who had stolen 
away his bride. (See Judges, ch. xv.) 



554 


APPENDIX. 


into his enemies, or a wise chieftain skilled in deep and hidden 
knowledge . 1 Sometimes he might appear as a glorious being 
doomed to an early death, which no power could avert or delay . 3 
Sometimes grievous hardships and desperate conflicts might be fol¬ 
lowed by a long season of serene repose . 3 Wherever he went, men 
might welcome him in love, or shrink from him in fear and 
anguish . 4 * He would have many brides in many lands, and his off¬ 
spring w r ould assume aspects beautiful, strange or horrible . 6 His 
course might be brilliant and beneficent; or gloomy, sullen, and 
capricious . 0 As compelled to toil for others, he would be said to 
fight in quarrels not his own ; or- he might for a time withhold the 
aid of an arm which no enemy could withstand . 7 He might bo 
the destroyer of all whom he loved, he might slay the Dawn with 
his kindling rays, he might scorch the Fruits, who were his children ; 
he might woo the deep blue sky, the bride of heaven itself, and an 
inevitable doom might bind his limbs on the blazing wheel for ever 
and ever . 8 Nor in this crowd of phrases, all of which have borne 
their part in the formation of mythology, is there one which could 
not be used naturally by ourselves to describe the phenomena of the 
outward world, and there is scarcely one, perhaps, which has not 
been used by our own poets. There is a beauty in them, which can 
never grow old or lose its charm. Poets of all ages recur to them 
instinctively in times of the deepest grief or the greatest joy; 
but, in the words of Professor Max Muller, “it is impossible to 
enter fully into the thoughts and feelings which passed through the 
minds of the early poets when they formed names for that far East 
from whence even the early Dawn, the Sun, the Day, their own life 
seemed to spring. A new life flashed up every morning before their 
eyes, and the fresh breezes of the Dawn reached them like greetings 
wafted across the golden threshold of the sky from the distant 
lands beyond the mountains, beyond the clouds, beyond the dawn, 
beyond the immortal sea which brought us hither! The Dawn 
seemed to them to open golden gates for the Sun to pass in triumph ; 
and while those gates were open, their eyes and their minds strove, 
in their childish way, to pierce beyond the limits of this finite 
world. That silent aspect wakened in the human mind the con¬ 
ception of the Infinite, the Immortal, the Divine; and the names 
of the Dawn became naturally the names of higher powers . 9 


1 This would give us the stories of Thor , the 
mighty warrior, the terror of his enemies, and 
those of Cadmus, Romulus or Odin, the wise 
chieftains, who founded nations, and taught 
their people knowledge. 

2 This would give us the story of Christ Je¬ 
sus. and other Angel-Messiahs; Saviours of men. 

3 This would give *us the stories of spell¬ 


bound maidens, who sleep for years. 

* This is Hercules and his counterparts. 

6 This again is Hercules. 

6 This would depend upon whether his light 
was obscured by clouds, or not. 

7 This again is Hercules. 

8 This is Apollo, Siva and Ixion. 

9 Rev. G. W. Cox. 





APPENDIX. 


“ This imagery of the Aryans was applied by them to all they saw 
e 1 1 m cs, as we have said, the clouds were cows ; they 
were also dragons, which sought to slay the Sun; or great ships 
floating across the sky, and casting anchor upon earth ; or rocks, or 
mountains, or deep caverns, in which evil deities iiid the golden 
light. Then, also, they were shaped hy fancy into animals of 
various kinds—the hear, the wolf, the dog, the ox ; and into giant 
birds, and into monsters which were both bird and beast. 

“ The winds, again, in their fancy, were the companions or minis¬ 
ters of India, the sky-god. The spirits of the winds gathered into 
their host the souls of the dead—thus giving birth to the Scandina¬ 
vian and Teutonic legend of the Wild Horseman, who rides at mid¬ 
night through the stormy sky, with his long train of dead behind 
him, and his weird hounds before. 1 The Riblius, or Arbhus, again, 
were the sunbeams or the lightning, who forged the armor of the 
gods, and made their thunderbolts, and turned old people young, 
and restored out of the hides alone the slaughtered cow on which 
the gods had feasted.” 2 

Aryan myths, then, were no more than poetic fancies about light 
and darkness, cloud and rain, night and day, storm and wind; and 
when they moved westward and southward, the Aryan race brought 
these legends with it; and out of these were shaped by degrees innu¬ 
merable gods and demons of the Hindoos, the devs and jinns of the 
Persians ; the great gods, the minor deities, and nymphs, and fauns, 
and satyrs of Greek mythology and poetry; the stormy divinities, 
the giants, and trolls of the cold and rugged North ; the dwarfs of 
the German forests ; the elves who dance merrily in the moonlight 
of an English summer ; and the “ good people ” who play mischievous 
tricks upon stray peasants among the Irish hills. Almost all , in¬ 
deed, that ive have of a legendary hind comes to us from our Aryan 
forefathers —sometimes scarcely changed, sometimes so altered that 
we have to puzzle out the links between the old and the new ; but 
all these myths and traditions, and old-world stories, when we come 
to know the meaning of them, take us back to the time when the 
Aryan race dwelt together in the high lands of central Asia, 
and they all mean the same things—that is, the relation be¬ 
tween the Sun and the earth, the succession of night and day, of 
winter and summer, of storm and calm, of cloud and tempest, and 
golden sunshine, and bright blue sky. And this is the source from 
which we get our fairy stories, and tales of gods and heroes ; for 
underneath all of them there are the same fanciful meanings, only 
changed and altered in the way of putting them by the lapse of ages 


1 Who 1ms not heard it said that the howling or whining of a dog forebodes death ? 

2 Bunco : Fairy Tales, Origin and Meaning. 




556 


APPENDIX. 




of time, by the circumstances of different countries, and by the 
fancy of those who kept the wonderful tales alive without knowing 
what they meant. 

Thousands of years ago, the Aryan people began their march 
out of their old country in mid-Asia. From the remains of their 
language, and the likeness of their legends to those among other 
nations, we know that ages and ages ago their country grew too 
small for them, so they were obliged to move away from it. Some 
of them turned southward into India and Persia, and some of them 
went westward into Europe—the time, perhaps, when the land of 
Europe stretched from the borders of Asia to the islands of Great 
Britain, and when there was no sea between them and the main 
land. How they made their long and toilsome march we know not. 
But, as Kingsley writes of such a movement of an ancient tribe, so 
we may fancy these old Aryans marching westward —“ the tall, 
bare-limbed men, with stone axes on their shoulders and horn bows 
at their backs, with herds of gray cattle, guarded by huge lap-eared 
mastiffs, with shaggy white horses, heavy-horned sheep, and silky 
goats, moving always westward through the boundless steppes, 
whither or why we know not, but that the Al-Father had sent them 
forth. And behind us (he makes them say) the rosy snow-peaks 
died into ghastly gray, lower and lower, as every evening came; and 
before us the plains spread infinite, with gleaming salt-lakes, and 
ever fresh tribes of gaudy flowers. Behind us, dark lines of living 
beings streamed down the mountain slopes; around us, dark lines 
crawled along the plains—all westward, westward ever. Who could 
stand against us ? We met the wild asses on the steppe, and tamed 
them, and made them our slaves. We slew the bison herds, and 
swam broad rivers on their skins. The python snake lay across our 
path ; the wolves and wild dogs snarled at us out of their coverts; 
we slew them and went on. Strange giant tribes met us, and eagle 
visaged hordes, fierce and foolish ; we smote them, hip and thigh, 
and went on, westward ever.” 1 And so they went on, straight to¬ 
ward the West, or, as they turned North and South, and thus over¬ 
spread new lands, they brought with them their old ivays of thought and 
forms of belief, and the stories in which these had taken form ; and on 
these were built up the gods and heroes, and all wonder-working 
creatures and things, and the poetical fables and fancies which have 
come down to us, and which still linger in our customs and our fairy 
tales ; bright and sunny and many-colored in the warm regions of 
the South, sterner and wilder and rougher in the North, more home¬ 
like in the middle and western countries ; but always alike in their 


1 Quoted by Bunce : Fairy Tales. 












APPENDIX. 557 

main features, and always having the same meaning when we come 
to dig it out, and these forms and their meaning being the same in 
the lands of the West Aryans as in those still peopled by the Aryans 
- of the East. 

The story of Cinderella is one of the many fairy tales which help 
us to find out their meaning, and take us straight hack to the 
far-off: land where fairy legends began, and to the people who made 
them. This well-known fairy tale has been found among the myths 
of our Aryan ancestors, and from this we know that it is the story of 
the Sun and the Dawn. Cinderella, gray and dark and dull, is all 
neglected when she is away from the Sun, obscured by the envious 
clouds, her sisters, and by her step-mother, the Night. So she is 
Aurora, the Dawn, and the Fairy Prince is the Morning San, ever 
pursuing her, to claim her for his bride. This is the legend as it 
is found in the ancient Hindoo books ; and this explains at once 
the source and the meaning of the fairy tale. 1 

Another tale which helps us in our task is that of Jack the 
Giant-Killer, who is really one of the very oldest and most widely 
known, characters in wonder-land. Now, who is this wonderful 
little fellow ? He is none other than the hero who, in all countries 
and ages, fights with monsters and overcomes them ; like Indra, the 
ancient Hindoo Sun-god, whose thunderbolts slew the demons of 
drought in the far East; or Perseus, who, in Greek story, delivers 
the maiden from the sea-monster ; or Odysseus, who tricks the 
giant Polyphemus, and causes him to throw himself into the sea; 
or Thor, whose hammer beats down the frost giants of the North. 
•‘The gifts bestowed upon Jack are found in Tartar stories, Hindoo 
tales, in German legends, and in the fables of Scandinavia.” 

Still another is that of Little Red Riding-Hood. The story of 
Little Red Riding Hood, as we call her, or Little Red-Cap, as she is 
called in the German tales, also comes from the same source, and 
(as we have seen in Chapter IX.), refers to the Sun and Right. 

“ One of the fancies in the most ancient Aryan or Hindoo stories 
was that there was a great dragon that was trying to devour the 
Sun, to prevent him from shining upon the earth, and filling it 
with brightness and life and beauty, and that Indra, the Sun-god, 
killed the dragon. Now, this is the meaning of Little Red Riding- 
Hood, as it is told in our nursery tales. Little Red Riding-liood is 
the Evening Sun, which is always described as red or golden ; the 
old grandmother is the Earth, to whom the rays of the Sun bring 
warmth and comfort. The wolf—which is a well-known figure for 


» See Bunco : Fairy Tales, p. 34. 




558 


APPENDIX. 


the Clouds and blackness of Night (in Teutonic mythology) 1 —is the 
dragon in another form. First, he devours the grandmother ; that 
is, he wraps the earth in thick clouds, which the Evening Sun is 
not strong enough to pierce through. Then, with the darkness of 
Night, he swallows up the Evening Sun itself, and all is dark and 
desolate. Then, as in the German tale, the night-thunder and the 
storm.winds are represented by the loud snoring of the wolf ; and 
then the huntsman, the Morning Sun , comes in all his strength 
and majesty, and chases away the night clouds and kills the wolf, 
and revives old grandmother Earth and Little Red Riding Hood to 
life again.” 

Nor is it in these stories alone that we can trace the ancient 
Hindoo legends, and the Sun-myth. There is, as Mr. Bunce ob¬ 
serves in his “Fairy Tales, their Origin and Meaning,” scarcely a 
tale of Greek or Roman mythology, no legend of Teutonic or Celtic 
or Scandinavian growth, no great romance of what we call the mid¬ 
dle ages, no fairy story taken down from the lips of ancient folk, 
and dressed for us in modern shape and tongue, that we do not find, 
in some form or another, in these Eastern poems, which are com - 
posed of allegorical tales of gods and heroes. 

When, in the Yedic hymns, Kephalos, Prokris, Hermes, Daphne, 
Zeus, Outran os, stand forth as simple names for the Sun, the Dew, the 
Wind,the Dawn,the Heaven and the Sky, each recognized as such, yet 
each endowed with the most perfect consciousness, we feel that the 
great riddle of mythology is solved, and that we no longer lack the 
key which shall disclose its most hidden treasures. When we hear 
the people saying, “'Our friend the Sun is dead. Will he rise ? 
Will the Dawn come back again ?” we see the death of Hercules, 
and the weary waiting while Leto struggles with the birth of Phoibos. 
When on the return of day we hear the cry— 

“Rise! our life, our spirit has come back, the darkness is gone, the light 
draws near !” 

—we are carried at once to the Homeric hymn, and we hear the 

•/ * 

joyous shout of all the gods when Phoibos springs to life and light 
on Delos. 2 

That the peasant folk-lore of modern Europe still displays 


1 “ The Sun,” paid Gaugler, “ speeds at such 
a rate as if she feared that some one was pur¬ 
suing her for her destruction.” “ And well she 
may,” replied liar, ‘‘for he that seeks her is 
not far behind, and she has no way to escape 
but to run before him.” “ And who is he,” 
asked Gaugler, “ that causes her this anxiety ?” 
“It is the Wolf Skoll, ” answered liar, “who 
pursues the Sun, and it is he that she fears, 


for he shall one day overtake and devour her.” 
(Scandinavian Prose Fclda. See Mallet’s 
Northern Antiquities, p. 407). This Wolf is, 
as we have said, a personification of Night and 
Clouds, we therefore have the almost universal 
practice among savage nations of making noises 
at the time of eclipses, to frighten away the 
monsters who would otherwise devour the Sun. 

2 Aryan Mythology, vol. i. p. 103. 



APPENDIX. 


559 


episodes of nature-myth, may be seen in the following story of 
Vassalissa, the Beautiful , 

Vassalissa’s stepmother and two sisters, plotting against her life, 
send her to get a light at the house of Baba Yagd, the witch, and 
her journey contains the following history of the Day , told, as Mr. 
Tylor says, in truest mythic fashion : 

“Vassalissa goes and wanders, wanders in the forest. She goes, and she 
shudders. Suddenly before her bounds a rider, he himself white, and clad in 
white, and the trappings white. And Day began to dawn. She goes farther, 
when a second rider bounds forth, himself red, clad in red, and on a red horse. 
The Sun began to rise. She goes on all day, and towards evening arrives at the 
witch’s house. Suddenly there comes again a rider, himself black, clad in all 
black, and on a black horse; he bounded to the gates of the Baba Yaga, and 
disappeared as if he had sunk through the earth. Night fell. After this, when 
Vassalissa asks the witch, ‘ Who was the white rider ?’ she answered, ‘ That is 
my clear Day f ‘Who was the red rider?’ ‘That is my red Sun;' ‘Who was 
the black rider ?’ ‘That is my black Night. They are all my trusty friends .’” 1 

We have another illustration of allegorical mythology in the 
Grecian story of Hephaestos splitting open with his axe the head of 
Zeus, and Athene springing from it, full armed ; for we perceive 
behind this savage imagery Zeus as the bright Shy , his forehead the 
East, Hesphasstos as the young, not yet risen Sun, and Athene as 
the Dawn, the daughter of the Sky, stepping forth from the foun¬ 
tain-head of light,—with eves like an owl, pure as a virgin ; the 
golden ; lightingup the tops of the mountains, and her own glorious 
Parthenon in her own favorite town of Athens ; whirling the shafts 
of light ; the genial warmth of the morning; the foremost cham¬ 
pion in the battle between night and day ; in full armor, in her 
panoply of light, driving away the darkness of night, and awaken¬ 
ing men to a bright life, to bright thoughts, to bright endeavors. 3 

Another story of the same sort is that of Kronos. Every one 
is familiar with the story of Kronos, who devoured his own children. 
Kow, Kronos is a mere creation from the older and misunderstood 
epithet Kronides or Kronion, the ancient of days. When these 
days or time had come to be regarded as a person the myth would 
certainly follow that he devoured his own children, as Time is the 
devourer of the Dawns. 3 Saturn, who devours his own children, is 
the same power whom the Greeks called Kronos (Time), which may 
truly be said to destroy whatever it has brought into existence. 

The idea of a Heaven, the “Elysian fields,” is also born of the 

sky. 

The u Elysian plain” is far away in the West, where the sun 


i Tylor: Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 308. 2 Muller : The Science of Religion, p. 65. 

3 Cox : Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 1. 




560 


APPENDIX. 




goes down beyond the bonds of the earth, when Eos gladdens the 
close of day as she sheds her violet tints over the sky. The 
“ Abodes of the Blessed” are golden islands sailing in a sea of blue, 
—the burnished clouds floating in the pure ether. Grief and sorrow 
cannot approach them ; plague and sickness cannot touch them. 
The blissful company gathered together in that far Western land in¬ 
herits a tearless eternity. 

Of the other details in the picture the greater number would be 
suggested directly by these images drawn from the phenomena of 
sunset and twilight. What spot or stain can be seen on the deep 
blue ocean in which the “Islands of the Blessed” repose forever ? 
What unseemly forms can mar the beauty of that golden home, 
lighted by the radiance of a Sun which can never set ? Who then 
but the pure in heart, the truthful and the generous, can be suffered 
to tread the violet fields ? And how shall they be tested save by 
jud ges who can weigh the thoughts and the interests of the heart ? 
Thus every soul, as it drew near that joyous land, was brought be¬ 
fore the august tribunal of Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aiakos ; and 
they whose faith was in truth a quickening power, might draw from 
the ordeals those golden lessons which Plato has put into the mouth 
of Socrates, and some unknown persons into the mouths of Buddha 
and Jesus. The belief of earlier ages pictured to itself the meetings 
in that blissful land, the forgiveness of old wrongs, and the recon¬ 
ciliation of deadly feuds, 1 just as the belief of the present day 
pictures these things to itself. 

The story of a War in Heaven , which was known to all nations 
of antiquity, is allegorical, and refers to the battle between light 
and darkness, sunshine and storm cloud. 2 

. As examples of the prevalence of the legend relating to the 
struggle between the co-ordinate powers of good and evil, light and 
darkness, the Sun and the clouds, we have that of Phoibos and 
Python, Indra and Yritra, Sigurd and Fafuir, Achilleus and Paris, 
Oidipous and the Sphinx, Ormuzd and Aliriman, and from the 
character of the struggle between Indra and Vritra, and again be- 


1 As the hand of Ilector is clasped in the 
hand of the hero who slew him. There, as the 
story ran, the lovely Helen “ pardoned and 
purified,” became thy bride of the short-lived, 
yet long-suffering Achilleus, even as lole com¬ 
forted the dying Hercules on earth, and Hebe 
became his solace in Olympus. But what is 
the meeting of Helen and Achilleus, of lole 
and Ileke and Hercules, but the return of the 
violet tints to greet the Sun in the West, which 
had greeted him in the East in the morning ? 
The idea was purely physical, yet it suggested 

the thoughts of trial, atonement, and purifica¬ 


tion ; and it is unnecessary to say that the 
human mind, having advanced thus far. must 
make its way still farther. (Cos: Aryan My¬ 
thology, vol. ii. p. 322.) 

2 The black storm-cloud, with the flames of 
lightning issuing from it, was the original of 
the dragon with tongues of fire. Even as late as 
a. i). 1C00, a German writer would illustrate a 
thunder-storm destroying a crop of corn by a 
picture of a dragon devouring the produce of 
ttic field with his flaming tongue and iron teeth. 
(Baring-Gould : Curious Myths, p. 342.) 





APPENDIX. 


561 


tween Ormuzd and Ah rim an, we infer that a myth, purely physical, 
in the land of the Five Streams, assumed a moral and spiritual 
meaning in Persia, and the fight between the co-ordinate powers of 
good and evil, gave birth to the dualism which from that time to the 
present has exercised so migh ty an influence through the East and West. 

The Apocalypse exhibits Satan with the physical attributes of 
Anriman ; he is called the “dragon,” the “old serpent,” who fights 
against God and his angels. The Vedic 7nyth , transformed and ex- 
aggerated in the Iranian books, finds its icay through this channel 
into Christianity. The idea thus introduced was that of the struggle 
between Satan and Michael, which ended in the overthrow of the 
former, and the casting forth of all his hosts out of heaven, but it 
coincides too nearly with a myth spread in countries held by all the 
Aryan nations to avoid further modification. Local tradition sub¬ 
stituted St. George or St. Theodore for Jupiter, Apollo, Hercules, 
or Perseus. It is under this disguise that the Vedic myth has come 
down to our own times, and has still its festivals and its monu¬ 
ments. Art has consecrated it in a thousand ways. St. Michael, 
lance in hand, treading on the dragon, is an image as familiar now 
as, thirty centui'ies ago , that of Indra treading under foot the 
demon Vritra could possibly have been to the Hindoo. 1 

The very ancient doctrine of a Trinity, three gods in one, can 
be explained, rationally, by allegory only. We have seen that the 
Sun, in early times, was believed to be the Creator , and became the 
first object of adoration. After some time it would be observed 
that this powerful and beneficent agent, the solar fire, was the most 
potent Destroyer , and hence would arise the first idea of a Creator 
and Destroyer united in the same person. But much time would 
not elapse before it must have been observed, that the destruction 
caused by this powerful being was destruction only in appearance, 
that destruction was only reproduction in another form— regenera¬ 
tion; that if he appeared sometimes to destroy, he constantly re¬ 
paired the injury which he seemed to occasion—and that, without 
his light and heat, everything would dwindle away into a cold, 
inert, unprolific mass. Thus, at once, in the same being, became 
concentrated, the creating, the preserving, and the destroying 
powers—the latter of the three being at the same time both the 
Destroyer and Regenerator. Hence, by a very natural and obvious 
train of reasoning, arose the Creator , the Preserver , and the Destroyer 
—in India Brahma , Vishnu , and Siva; in Persia Oromasdes , 
Mithra, and Arimanius; in Egypt Osiris, Iiorus , and Typhon : in 
each case Three Persons and one God. And thus undoubtedly 
arose the Tremurti, or the celebrated Trinity. 


» M. Breal, and G. W. Cox. 




562 APPENDIX. 

Traces of a similar refinement may be found in the Greek my¬ 
thology, in the Orphic Plumes, Ericapeus and Metis, who were all 
identified with the Sun, and yet embraced in the first person, 
Plumes, or Protogones, the Creator and Generator. 1 The invo¬ 
cation to the Sun, in the Mysteries, according to Macrobius, was as 
follows: “0 all-ruling Sun! Spirit of the world ! Power of the 
world ! Light of the world ! ” 2 

We have seen in Chap. XXXV, that the Peruvian Triad was rep¬ 
resented by three statues, called, respectively, “ Apuinti, Churiinti, 
and Intihoaoque,” which is, “Lord and Father Sun; Son Sun; 
and Air or Spirit, Brother Sun.” 3 

Mr. Faber, in his “Origin of Pagan Idolatry,”says : 

“ The peculiar mode in which the Hindoos identify their three great gods with 
the solar orb, is a curious specimen of the physical refinements of ancient mythol¬ 
ogy. At night, in the west, the Sun is Vishnu; he is Brahma in the east and 
in the morning; and from noon to evening he is Siva .” 4 

Mr. Moor, in his “Hindu Pantheon,” says : 

“Most, if not all, of the gods of the Hindoo Pantheon will, on close investiga¬ 
tion, resolve themselves into the three powers (Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva), and 
those powers into one Deity, Brahm, typified by the Sun .” 5 

Mr. Squire, in his “ Serpent Symbol,” observes : 

“It is highly probable that the triple divinity of the Hindoos was originally 
no more than a personification of the Sun, whom they called Three-bodied , in the 
triple capacity of producing forms by his general heat , preserving them by his 
light, or destroying them by the counteracting force of his igneous matter. Brah¬ 
ma, the Creator, was indicated by the heat of the Sun; Vishnu, the Preserver, by 
the light of the Sun, and Siva, the Reproducer, by the orb of the Sun. In the 
morning the Sun was Brahma, at noon Vishnu, at evening Siva .” 6 

“He is at once,” says Mr. Cox, in speaking of the Sun, “the 
‘ Comforter’ and ‘Healer,’ the ‘ Saviour ’ and ‘ Destroyer,’ who can 
slay and make alive at will, and from whose piercing glance no 
secret can be kept hid.” 7 

Sir William Jones was also of the opinion that the whole Triad 
of the Hindoos were identical with the Sun, expressed under the 
mythical term 0. M. # 

The idea of a Tri-murti, or triple personification, was de¬ 
veloped gradually, and as it grew, received numerous accretions. 
It was first dimly shadowed forth and vaguely expressed in the Rig - 
Veda, where a triad of principal gods, Agni, Indra, and Surya is 
recognized. And these three gods are One, the Sun . 8 


1 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 59. 

2 Ibid. 

s Ibid. p. 181. 

4 Hook iv. ch. i. in Anac., vol. i. p. 137. 


6 p. 6. 

8 Squire : Serpent Symbol, p. 38. 

7 Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 33. 

8 Williams’ Hinduism, p. 88. 




APPENDIX. 


563 


We see then that the religious myths of antiquity and the fire¬ 
side legends of ancient and modern times, have a common root in 
the mental habits of primeval humanity, and that they are the 
earliest recorded utterances of men concerning the visible phe¬ 
nomena of the world into which they were born. At first, tho¬ 
roughly understood, the meaning in time became unknown. How 
stories originally told of the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, &c., became 
believed in as facts, is plainly illustrated in the following story told 
by Mrs. Jameson in her “ History of Our Lord in Art:” “I once 
tried to explain,” says she, “ to a good old woman, the meaning of 
the word parable, and that the story of the Prodigal Son was not a 
fact; she was scandalized—she was quite sure that Jesus would 
never have told anything to his disciples that was not true. Thus 
she settled the matter in her own mind, and I thought it best to 
leave it there undisturbed.” 

Prof. Max Muller, in speaking of “the comparison of the dif¬ 
ferent forms of Aryan religion and mythology in India, Persia, 
Greece, Italy and Germany,” clearly illustrates how such legends 
are transformed from intelligible into unintelligible myths. He 
says : 

“ In each of these nations there was a tendency to change the 
original conception of divine powers, to misunderstand the many 
names given to these powers, and to misinterpret the praises ad¬ 
dressed to them. In this manner some of the divine names were 
changed into half-divine, half-human heroes, and at last the myths 
which were true and intelligible as told originally of the Sun, or the 
Dawn, or the Storms, were turned into legends or fables too mar¬ 
velous to be believed of common mortals. This process can be 
watched in India, in Greece, and in Germany. The same story, or 
nearly the same, is told of gods, of heroes, and of men. The divine 
myth became an heroic legend, and the heroic legend fades away 
into a nursery tale. Our nursery tales have well been called the 
modern patois of the ancient mythology of the Aryan race.” 1 

In the words of this learned author, “ we never lose, we always 
gain, when we discover the most ancient intention of sacred tradi¬ 
tions, instead of being satisfied with their later aspect, and their 
modern misinterpretations.” 


1 Muller’s Chips, vol. ii. p. 260. 




564 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX D. 


We maintain that not so much as one single passage purporting 
to he written, as history , within the first hundred years of the 
Christian era, can be produced to show the existence at or before 
that time of such a person as Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ, or 
of such a set of men as could be accounted his disciples or followers. 
Those who would be likely to refer to Jesus or his disciples, but who 


have not done so, wrote about : 

a. D. 40 Philo. 1 
40 Josephus. 

79 C.\JTinius Second, the Elder. 1 


69 L. Ann. Seneca. 

79 Diogenes Laertius. 
79 Pausanias. ) 

79 Pompon Mela, j 
79 Q. Curtius Euf. 

79 Luc.'Flor. 

110 Cornel Tacitus. 
123 Appianus. 

140 Justinus. 

141 JElianus. 


| Philosophers. 


Geographers. 


>• Historians. 


Out of this number it has been claimed that one (Josephus) spoke 
of Jesus, and another (Tacitus) of the Christians. Of the former it is 
almost needless to speak, as that has been given up by Christian 
divines many years ago. However, for the sake of those who still 
cling to it we shall state the following : 

Dr. Lardner, who wrote about a.d. 1760, says : 

1. It was never quoted by any of our Christian ancestors before Esuebius. 

2. Josephus has nowhere else mentioned the name or word Christ, in any of 
his works, except the testimony above mentioned, 3 and the passage concerning 
James, the Lord’s brother. 4 

3. It interrupts the narrative. 

4. The language is quite Christian. 

5. It is not quoted by Chrysostom, 5 though he often refers to Josephus, and 
could not have omitted quoting it, had it been then, in the text. 


1 The Rev. Dr. Giles says : “ Great is our 
disappointment at finding nothing in the works 
of Philo about the Christians, their doctrines, or 
their sacred books. About the books indeed we 
need not expect any notice of these works, but 
about the Christians and their doctrines his 
silence is more remarkable, seeing that he was 
about sixty years old at the time of the cruci¬ 
fixion, and living mostly in Alexandria, so 
closely connected with Judea, and the Jews, 
could hardly have failed to know something of 
the wonderful events that had taken place in 
the city of Jerusalem.” (Hebrew and Chris¬ 
tian Records, vol. ii. p. 61.) 


The Rev. Dr. assumes that these “ wonder¬ 
ful events ” really took place, but, if they did 
not take place, of course Philo's silence on the 
subject is accounted for. 

2 Both these philosophers were living, and 
must have experienced the immediate effects, 
or received the earliest information of the ex¬ 
istence of Christ Jesus, had such a person as 
the Gospels make him out to be ever existed. 
Their ignorance or their willful silence on the 
the subject, is not less than improbable . 

3 Antiquities, bk. xviii. ch. iii. 3. 

4 Ibid. bk. xx. ch. ix. 1. 

6 John, Bishop of Constantinople, who died 






APPENDIX. 


565 


6. It is not quoted by Photius, though he has three articles concerning Jose¬ 
phus. 

7. Under the article Justus of Tiberius, this author (Photius) expressly states 
that this historian (Josephus), being a Jew, has not taken the least notice of Christ. 

8. Neither Justin, in his dialogue with Typho the Jew, nor Clemens Alexan- 
drinus, who made so many extracts from ancient authors, nor Origen against 
Celsus, have even mentioned this testimony. 

9. But, on the contrary, Origen openly affirms (eh. xxxv., bk. i., against 
Celsus), that Josephus-, who had mentioned John the Baptist, did not acknowl¬ 
edge Christ . * 1 

Ill the “Bible for Learners,” we read as follows : 

“ Flavius Josephus, the well-known historian of the Jewish people, was born 
in a. d. 37, only two years after the death of Jesus; but though his work is of 
inestimable value as our chief authority for the circumstances of the times in. 
which Jesus and his Apostles came forward, yet he does not seem to have ever 
mentioned Jesus himself. At any rate, the passage in his ‘ Jewish Antiquities ’ that 
refers to him is certainly spurious, and was inserted by a later and a Christian 
hand. The Talmud compresses the history of Jesus into a single sentence, and 
later Jewish writers concoct mere slanderous anecdotes. The ecclesiastical 
fathers mention a few sayings or events, the knowledge of which they drew 
from oral tradition or from writings that have since been lost. The Latin and 
Greek historians just mention his name. This meager harvest is all we reap 
from sources outside the Gospels.” 2 

Canon Farrar, who finds himself comjoelled to admit that this 
passage in Josephus is an interpolation, consoles himself by saying : 

“ The single passage in which he (Josephus) alludes to Him (Christ) is inter¬ 
polated, if not wholly spurious, and no one can doubt that his silence on the 
subject of Christianity was as deliberate as it was dishonest.” 3 

The Rev. Dr. Giles, after commenting on this subject, concludes 
by saying : 

“ Eusebius is the first who quotes the passage, and our reliance on the judg¬ 
ment, or even the honesty, of this writer is not so great as to allow of our consider¬ 
ing everything found in his works as undoubtedly genuine .” 4 

Eusebius, then, is the first person who refers to these passages. 5 
Eusebius, “ whose honesty is not so great as to allow of our consider¬ 
ing everything found in his ivories as undoubtedly genuine” Euse¬ 
bius, who says that it is lawful to lie and cheat for the cause of 
Christ . 6 This Eusebius is the sheet-anchor of reliance for most we 
know of the first three centuries of the Christian history. What 
then must we think of the history of the first three centuries of the 

Christian era ? 


a.d. 407, was called St. Chrysostom, or Golden- 
mouthed, from the charms of his eloquence. 

i Quoted from Dr. Lardner's Works in Tay¬ 

lor’s Diegesis, p. 388. 

a The Bible for Learners, vol. iii. p. 27. 


3 Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 63. 

4 Hebrew and Christian Records, vol. ii. p. 

6 In his Eccl. Hist., lib. 2, ch, xii. 

• See Chapter XXXVII. 





506 


APPENDIX. 


The celebrated passage in Tacitus which Christian divines and 
even some liberal writers—attempt to support, is to be found in his 
Annals.' In this work he is made to speak of Christians, who 
“ had their denomination from Christus, who, in the reign of 
Tiberius, was put to death as a criminal by the procurator Pontius 
Pilate.” 

In answer to this we have the following : 

1. This passage, which would have served the purpose of Chris¬ 
tian quotation better than any other in all the writings of Tacitus, 
or of any Pagan writer whatever, is not quoted by any of the Chris¬ 
tian Fathers. 

2. It is not quoted by Tertullian, 1 2 though he had read and 
largely quotes the works of Tacitus. 

3. And though his argument immediately called for the use of 
this quotation with so loud a voice (Apol. ch. v.), that his omission 
of it, if it had really existed, amounts to a violent improbability. 

4. This Father has spoken of Tacitus in a way that it is absolutely 
impossible that he should have spoken of him, had his writings con¬ 
tained such a passage. 3 

5. It is not quoted by Clemens Alexandrinus, 4 who set himself 
entirely to the work of adducing and bringing together all the admis¬ 
sions and recognitions which Pagan authors had made of the exist¬ 
ence of Christ Jesus or Christians before liis time. 

6. It has been nowhere stumbled upon by the laborious and all¬ 
seeking Eusebius, who could by no possibility have overlooked it, 
and whom it would have saved from the labor of forging the pas¬ 
sage in Josephus; of adducing the correspondence of Christ Jesus 
and Abgarus, and the Sibylline verses ; of forging a divine revela¬ 
tion from the god Apollo, in attestation of Christ Jesus’ ascension 
into heaven ; and innumerable other of his pious and holy cheats. 5 

7. Tacitus has in no other part of his writings made the least 
allusion to “ Christ ” or “ Christians.” 

8. The use of this passage as part of the evidences of the 
Christian religion, is absolutely modern. 

9. There is no vestige nor trace of its existence anywhere in the 
world before the 15th century. 6 

10. Justin Martyr, 7 who in the year A. D. 141, writing unto 


1 Bk. xx. ch. ix. 

2 Quintus Septimus Florens Tertullianus,\vas 
presbyter of the church of Carthage in Africa, 
about a.d. 190 ; he died about the year 220. 

3 See Taylor's Diegesis, p. 396. 

4 St. Clement of Alexandria presided over 
the monkish university in that city. He wrote 
about 195. 

8 See his Ecclesiastical History. 

6 See Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 396. “ The An- 


nales of Tacitus, commencing with the death 
of Augustus in a.d. 14, and closing with the 
death of Nero in a.d. 68, have reached us only 
in an imperfect state.''' (Chambers’s Encyclo., 
art. “ Tacitus. 11 ) 

7 Justin Martyr was born at Flavia Neapolis, 
anciently caljed Sichem, a city of Samaria in 
Palestine. “He studied philosophy under 
several masters, 11 says Dr. Lardner' “first un¬ 
der a Stoic, next under a Peripatetic , and then 


I 




APPENDIX. 


567 


Caesar, and unto the Senate, with all the people of Rome, could not 
point to this passage in the work of one of their own historians. 
When they tell him that they do not believe his Jesus was crucified, 
he does not say, ‘‘ Look to your own historian Tacitus , who tells 
you that our Christ did suffer; and that he was put to death under 
Pontius Pilate,” but, “as to the objections of our Jesus being cruci¬ 
fied, I say, that suffering was common to all your sons of Jove, 
therefore, why should not our son of Jove suffer ?” 1 

11. The interpolator of the passage makes Tacitus speak of 
“ Christ ,” not of Jesus the Christ, showing that—like the passage 
in Josephus—it is, comparatively, a modern interpolation, for 

12. The word “Christ” is not a name , but a title f it being 
simply the Greek for the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Therefore, 

13. When Tacitus is made to speak of Jesus as “ Christ,” it is 
equivalent to my speaking of Tacitus as “ Historian,” of George 
Washington as “General,” or of any individual as “Mister,” with¬ 
out adding a name by which either could be distinguished. And 
therefore, 

14. It has no sense or meaning as he is said to have used it. 

15. Tacitus is also made to say that the Christians had their 
denomination from Christ, which would apply to any other of the 
so-called Christs who were put to death in Judea, as well as to 
Christ Jesus. And 

16. “ The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 
xi. 26), not because they were followers of a certain Jesus who 
claimed to be the Christ, but because “ Christian” or “ Chrestian,” 
was a name applied, at that time, to any good man. 3 And, 


under a Pythagorean, and lastly, under a Pla¬ 
tonic philosopher, whose principles and senti¬ 
ments he preferred above all others, until he 
became acquainted with the Christian religion, 
wnich he then embraced as the only safe and 
profitable philosophy. (Quoted in Taylor’s 
Diegesis, p. 314.) 

1 See Chapter XX., on the Crucifixion of 
Jesus. 

2 “ Christ is a name having no spiritual 
signification, and imparting nothing more than 
an ordinary surname.'' (Dr. Giles: Hebrew 
and Christian Records, vol. ii. p. 64.) 

“ The name of Jesus and Christ was both 
known and honored among the ancients.” 
(Eusebius : Eccl. Hist., lib. 1, ch. iv.) 

“ The name Jesus is of Hebrew origin, and 
signifies Deliverer , and Saviour. It is the 
same as that translated in the Old Testament 
Joshua. The word Christ, of Greek origin, 
is properly not a name but a title, signifying 
The Anointed. The whole name is therefore, 
Jesus the Anointed, or Jesus the Messiah." 
(Abbott and Conant: Die. of Relig. Knowledge, 


art. “ Jesus Christ.") 

In the oldest Gospel extant, that attributed 
to Matthew, we read that Jesus said unto his 
disciples, ‘‘Whom say ye that I am?” where¬ 
upon Simon Peter answers and says : “ Thou 
art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 
. . . Then charged he his disciples that they 
should tell no man that he was Jesus the 
Christ.” (Matt. xvi. 15-20.) 

This clearly shows that “ the Christ" was 
simply a title applied to the man Jesus, there¬ 
fore, if a title, it cannot be a name. All pas¬ 
sages in the New Testament which speak of 
Christ as a name, betray their modern date. 

3 “This name (Christian) occurs but three 
times in the New Testament, and is never 
used by Christians of themselves,only as spoken 
by or coming from those without the Church. 
The general names by which the early Chris¬ 
tians called themselves were ‘ brethren,’ * disci¬ 
ples,’ ‘ believers,’ and ‘ saints.’ The presumption 
is that the name Christian was originated by the 
Heathen." (Abbott and Conant: Die. of Relig. 
Knowledge, art. ‘‘Christian.”) 



568 


APPENDIX. 




17. The worshipers of the Sun-god, Serapis, w'ere also called 
“ Christians,” and his disciples “ Bishops of Christ.” 1 
So much, then, for the celebrated passage in Tacitus. 


“We are called Christians (not, we call 
ourselves Christians). So, then, we are the 
best of men (Chrestians), and it can never be 
just to hate what is (Chrest) good and kind .” 
(Justin Martyr: Apol. Quoted in Taylor’s 
Diegesis, p. 399.) 

“ Some of the ancient writers of the Church 
have not scrupled expressly to call the Athe¬ 
nian Socrates, and some others of the best of 
the heathen moralists, by the name of Chris¬ 
tians.'" (Clark : Evidences of Revealed Relig., 
p. 284. Quoted in Ibid. p. 41.) . 

“Those who lived according to the Logos, 
(i. e., the Platonists), were really Christians .” 
(Clemens Alexandrinus, in Ibid.) 

“Undoubtedly we are called Christians , 
for this reason, and none other, than because 
we are anointed with the oil of God." (The- 
ophilus of Antioch, in Ibid. p. 399.) 

“ Christ is the Sovereign Reason of whom 


the whole human race participates. All those 
who have lived conformably to a right reason, 
have been Christians .” (St. Justin : Apolog., 
Quoted by Baring-Gould : Orig. Relig. Beliefs, 
vol. ii. p. 153.) 

Lucian makes a person called Triephon 
answer the question, whether the affairs of 
the Christians were recorded in heaven. “All 
nations are there recorded, since Chrgstus 
exists even among the Gentiles.” 

1 “ Egypt, which you commended to me, my 
dearest Servianus, I have found to be wholly 
fickle and inconsistent, and continually wafted 
about by every breath of fame. The worshipers 
of Serapis (here) are called Christians, and 
those who are devoted to the god Serapis (I 
find), call themselves Bishops of Christ .” (The 
Emperor Adrian to Servianus, written a.d. 
134. Quoted by Dr. Giles, vol. ii. p. 86.) 










J. W. BOUTON’S Catalogue of 
New and Recent Publications, 
Importations and Remainders, 
comprising important and 
valuable works in the 
following departments 
of literature: 

ART, CONTEMPORARY AND ANCIENT; ART 
PERIODICALS ; ANTIQUITIES ; ARCHAEOLOGY; 
ANCIENT RELIGIONS^ AND WORSHIPS ; BIO¬ 
GRAPHY ; CAXTON AND EARLY PRINTING; 
COSTUME; CRUIKSHANKIANA; CERAMIC ART; 
DICTIONARIES, GLOSSARIES, LANGUAGE, Etc. ; 
OLD DRAMATISTS; MODERN ETCHINGS; FREE 
MASONRY; GENEALOGY; ILLUSTRATED WORKS; 
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ; MYTHOLOGY ; ORNA¬ 
MENT, ARCHITECTURAL, TEXTILE, Etc., Etc.; 
ORNITHOLOGY; OLD POETRY; PHALLIC AND 
SYMBOL WORSHIP; SHAKSPEARIANA, Etc., Etc. 


For Sale by 

J. W. BOUTON, 

706 Broadway , New York . 


*2* 30,000 Volumes of Rare and Choice Books y 
New and Second-hand, always on hand . Cata~, 
logues sent on receipt of stamp . 




o 


Rembrandt, the Complete Works of. 

With Description and Notes by Charles Blanc; reproduced 
under the supervision of Firmin Delangle, and forming a Cat¬ 
alogue Raisonn£ of all of Rembrandt’s plates, with reproduc¬ 
tions in facsimile of the whole of his etchings, by a new process 
which dispenses entirely with retouching, comprising in all three 
hundred and fifty-six plates. 

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION : 

The work is in one volume, royal folio, a portfolio of same 
size, and a portfolio 24x31. 

The royal folio volume contains the text as revised by Mr. 
Charles Blanc, and the small portfolio all the plates, the size 
of which admits of their being included. The others are put 
in the large portfolio. The volumes are bound in cloth, 
sufficiently strong to take the place of a permanent binding, but 
leaving the margins intact. The edition consists of 500 copies, 
divided up as follows : 

400 copies, letterpress on papier velin, plates on Holla?id 
paper. $150.00. 

80 letterpress on Holland paper, plates on Holland and Japan¬ 
ese paper. $300.00. 

20 letterpress on Whatman paper, plates on Holland , Japanese , 
and Whatman paper. $600.00. 

The works of Rembrandt, comprising three hundred and fifty-six plates, etched by himself, un¬ 
doubtedly constitute the rarest, most varied, and most admirable collection of etchings that can 
possibly be got together. These marvelous plates possess a charm for all. The artist (airly revels 
in them. The philosopher discovers in them a profound observation of human nature, which capti¬ 
vates his attention at once. The poet finds in them a succession of tanciful shapes and sublime ideas; 
while the man who never thinks of opening a book, unless it be to while away a moment of leisure, 
may forget the outside world lor days together in the contemplation of these incomparable works. 
Hitherto, the plates of this great master have been within reach of only a few fortunate beings. In 
France they were only to be seen m the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, or in the collections of a 
few wealthy collectors, provided they were gracious enough to open their portfolios to the inspection 
of the curious. It is the same abroad, even in the native country of Rembrandt, where the Museum 
of Amsterdam alone contains, at least so far as our knowledge extends, certain plates, of which there 
were originally struck off such a limited number of prints that they have become unique, or nearly so. 

To get together a complete, or as complete a set as practicable, of these plate*, in fine condition, 
would require a fortune. Even then such an undertaking would be scarcely practicable, for two rea¬ 
sons : First, because there are among the works of Rembrandt excessively rare plates, the greater 
part of which are unobtainable, being in the national collections of Amsterdam, Paris, London, or 
Vienna. Second, because in addition to these unobtainable rarities, there are far more collectors on 
the lookout for the etchings of Rembrandt than there are good impressions of these same etchings. 
The number of buyers, in fine, exceeds the number printed, by far. 

These reproductions, without any retouching, preserve in their entirety the inimitable character 
®f the master, and differ in that respect from all those obtained by other processes. Artists and col¬ 
lectors will appreciate the importance of this result, which enables them to acquire at once, at a 
reasonable price, an admirable collection, certain, from its identity with the originals, to enhance 
in value. 

This edition, the first and only complete one, includes the twenty-two unique plates of the 
Museum of Amsterdam, the unique plates of the British Museum, those of the Museum of Vienna, 
and of the Bibliotheque Nationale of Paris. Not only have we drawn from the private collections 
which have been graciously placed at our disposal, but we have, thanks to the kindness of Messrs. 
Clement, Danlos, Delisle, Loysel, and Ad. Thebaudeau, had the use of magnificent impressions, 
which we could have obtained nowhere else. 

Amours of Great Men. 

By Albert Vandam. 2 thick vols. Post 8vo, new cloth, 
uncut. $3.00. 

-The Same, handsomely bound in hf. cf. gilt. $5.00. 

*** Contents : Abailard and H£loise ; Petrarch and Laura ; Dante and Beatrice ; Hans 
Mending's Love; Raphael; Clement Marot; Lope de Vega ; Moliere ; Swift; Rousseau; 
Mirabeau, 


3 


Tlie Schools of Modern Art in Germany. 

By J. Beavington Atkinson. Author of “An Art Tour in 
Northern Capitals,” “Studies Among the Painters” etc. Illus¬ 
trated with 16 Etchings, and numerous wood-cuts. i vol. 
Royal 4to, cloth, extra, gilt edges. $12.00. 

The object proposed by the Author is to take a general view of the wide and discursive subject. 
He has thought it, on the whole, best to describe and discuss “The Schools of Modern Art in 
>ermany at the several localities where they have arisen, and where they may still be seen and 
judged by master-works. 1 here the reader is conducted, by successive stages, from one great city to 
anothei as a chief centre of creation ; he passes from Munich to Dusseldorf and Berlin, and thence 
y way ot Central Germany to Vienna and Pesth. And, in taking this circuit, he makes the acquain¬ 
tance ot conspicuous artists—of Cornelius and Worbeck, of Kaulbach and Piloty, of Rethel and 
i> en demann, of Knaus, Matejko, and Muncaksy ; he sees these painters in the very spots wherein 
they have lived and labored, surrounded by the circumstances which have done much to form their 
personal character, and to determine their industrial style. 

Life, Work, and Opinions of Heinrich 
Heine. 

By William Stigand. With Portrait. 2 large vols. demy 
8 vo, cloth. $ 3 . 75 . 

„ Regarding Heine as a wit and humorist alone, his sayings and opinions have a charm unrivalled 
in the history of literature. We believe it was M. Thiers who said that he was the wittiest French¬ 
man since Voltaire, and, in his power of the application of wit, and in his readiness with it, he cer¬ 
tainly was as universal as that extraordinary spirit; while, as respecting his humor, he could be in 
tones as tender as Sterne, and as savage and grave as Swift. He was capable, too, of freezing his 
humor and his poetry together in a manner of which no other writer was capable in the same degree, 
with the exception ot Aristophanes, for which reason, probably, as well as for the political use which 
he made of his satirical powers, occasion was taken to call him the German Aristophanes. No one 
certainly ever passed so gracefully, and with such childlike waywardness, as he, from smiles to tears, 
culling the while as he went the cnoicest flowers in the domain of beauty. 

Bibliomania in tlie Present day in 
France and England, 

Or some account of celebrated recent sales, giving the 
prices at which the more important books were- sold, together with 
the prices brought by the same books at previous sales. From 
the French of Philomneste Junior. With a notice and Portrait 
of Trautz-Bauzonnet. 121110, handsomely printed on superline 
paper. $1.50. (Only 250 copies.) 

The publisher believes he need offer no apology for placing the present little volume in the hands 
of the American public. His experience for the last twenty years as a bookseller has placed him in 
a position to appreciate the constant augmentation in number of American book collectors, and at the 
same time rendered him aware of the fact that their tastes are by no means limited to English 
literature. Should this little book be instrumental in adding to their number, or infusing a little 
more enthusiasm among our collectors in general, its aim will have been fully met. 

Paris Salon, 1880, Illustrated Catalogue 
of. 

Containing nearly four hundred reproductions in fac-simile, 
after the original drawings of the artists. Published under the 
direction of F. G. Dumas, i vol., 8vo. paper cover. $1.25. 

“The Illustrated Catalogue of the Paris Salon, containing nearly four hundred 
reproductions in fac-simile, after the Original Drawings of the artists, is put within the reach of every 
one's purse, at ($1.25), the price at which it is now offered. Hitherto the catalogue has not been 
much known in this country outside of studio circles. But at this figure it would be cheap to cut up 
lor scrap-book pictures if for nothing else. Last year, the titles of the paintings and sculpture in the 
book were given only in French. This year both English and French are given .”—A >t Amateur. 


4 


v 


FIRST ENGLISH BOOK ON FISHING. 

Ef)c Creatgse of togtl) ait 

&itQle. 

By Dame Juliana Berners, A fac-simile reproduction of 
the First Edition printed by Wynkyn de Worde, at Westminster, 
in 1496, with an Introduction by M. G. Watkins. Demy 4to, 
on hand-made paper, and tastefully bound in Antique Vellum of 
contemporary pattern. $5.00. Or, bound in panelled calf, yellow 
edges. $17.00. 

The first treatise on fishing printed in England must ever have a great interest for the bibliophile 
and for the follower of the “ gentle art.” “The Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle, which 
claims this position, has ever been cherished by both as ol sut passing value tor its rarity, as well a» 
for its intrinsic interest. The work has also a peculiar interest as being the quarry from wh cli so 
many subsequent writers on fishing have drawn riches, which they have adapted to their own use, 
and that frequently without acknowledgment ; while even Isaac Walton himself has not only diawn 
much of his inspiration from its perusal, but has clearly taken his “Jury ot flies and other mforma- 
t on almost intact from its pages. 


UNIFORM WITH THE “ TREATYSE OF FYSSHYNGE WYTH 

AN AN GLEN 

€\)t Book of gatnt Lilian's. 

By Dame Juliana Berners. Containing the Treatises on 
Hawking, Hunting, and Heraldry. Printed at St. Alban’s, 
by the Schoolmaster Printer, in i486. With an Introduction by 
William Blades, Author of the “ Life and Typography of 
Caxton.” Printed on hand-made paper, Demy 4to, with wide 
margin, and handsomely and appropriately bound in vellum, with 
uncut edges. $15.00. A few copies in paneled calf, at $30.00. 

This facsimile is faithfully reproduced by photography; it is printed on rough hand-made 
paper similar to that of the original, and bound in handsome contemporary binding. The interest 
and value of this reproduction is greatly enhanced by Mr. l?i. auks’ Preface, which treats at length, 
in separate chapters, of the Authorship, Typography, Bibliography, Subject-Matter, and 
Philology of the Work. 

As The Book of Saint Alban’s is the Work in which The Treatysk of Fysshynge 
wyth AN Angle i vas incorporated on its first publication, its possession t<y the Subscribers 
to the latter should be secured in order to complete the set of dyuerse bokys concernynge to 
gentyll and noble men. 

*** A full prospectus concerning the publication of “The Book of Saint Alban’s,” will be sent 
on application. 

The Obelisk and Freemasonry, 

ACCORDING TO THE DISCOVERIES OF BELZONI 
AND COMMANDER GORRINGE. ALSO, A COMPARI¬ 
SON BETWEEN EGYPTIAN SYMBOLS AND THOSE 
DISCOVERED IN AMERICAN MOUNDS. BY JOHN A. 
WEISSE, M.D. With colored and plain illustrations, the 
H-ieroglyphs of the American and English Obelisks, and Trans¬ 
lations in English by Dr. S. Birch, i vol. 8vo, handsomely 
printed on thick paper, cloth, extra. $2.00. A cheaper edition 
in paper cover. $1.00. 

This volume will be found to contain, in a condensed form, a great amount of original and 
hitherto unknown information concerning not only the obelisk which has just reached our shores, 
but also regarding all the other twenty-nine obelisks now in existence. 

It gives a complete history of their origin, mode of execution and engineering, when, where, and 
by whom erected, aud the reasons therefor. 


\ 




5 


Rowlandson, the Caricaturist. 

A Selection from his Works, with Anecdotal Descrip¬ 
tions of his Famous Caricatures, and a Sketch of his Life, 
Times, and Contemporaries. With nearly 400 Illus¬ 
trations, mostly in Fac-simile of the Originals. By Joseph 
Grego, author of “ James Gillray, the Caricaturist; his 
Life, Works and Times.” 2 vols. 4to. Half morocco, 
gilt, gilt top, $20.00. Full polished calf, extra, gilt, and 
gilt edges, $35.00. Tree marbled calf, extra, gilt leaves, or 
gilt top, $35.00. 

“Almost simultaneously with the issue of Mr. Du Manner's album of Punch sketches, there has 
appeared a collection of work of the same class, representing the England of a century ago. The illus¬ 
trations to “ Dr. Syntax” have kept the name of Thomas Rowlandson alive among those who are not 
specially students; and among those who are, there is not much danger of it ever pe> ishing. But with 
the exception of the “ Syntax ” illustrations, which * * * made the fortune ot the book, not much 
of Rowlandson’s vast total of work is generally known. For some half-century the untiring artist 
worked at all sorts of tasks. Besides “ Dr. Syntax ” he illustrated books without number. * * * 

By book illustrations, by original landscape work, by engraving the pictures of other men, and, above 
all, by an inexhaustible series of social and political caricatures, Rowlandson constantly made con¬ 
siderable sums of money. * * * He became better known out of England than most English 

artists of his time, and the Paris Biblioth&que contains no inconsiderable number of specimens ot his 
work. * * * Mr. Grego has now edited two goodly quartos devoted to him, and containing not 

only a methodical catalogue of his work, but also an abundant allowance of examples selected with the 
double view of illustrating the work itself and consulting modern notions of propriety. * * * But 

there is really not much harm in Rowlandson, though he takes subjects and employs manners of treat¬ 
ment which would hardly be suffered nowadays in Punch. * * * A useful lesson in the social 

history of England, as well as a pleasant occupation of leisure moments.”— Daily News. * 

NEW ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY EDITION. 

History of Don Quixote of La Mancha. 

.Translated from the Spanish, by P. A. Motteux. Il¬ 
lustrated with Thirty-seven Original Etchings, specially j 
prepared for this Edition, by M. ADOLPHE LALAUZE. 
Carefully printed by SALMON, of Paris. To be completed 
in Four Volumes, in the following sizes :—Demy 8vo 
Edition, ordinary paper, in cloth, uncut, per vol., $6.00. 
Royal 8vo, Large Superfine Paper, with India impressions 
of the plates, per vol., $13.00. (Limited to 200 copies, 
nearly all of which are taken up.) The same, with a 
duplicate set of the Etchings, on Holland paper, added, 
per vol., $20.00. Only fifty copies of this edition are for 
.sale. 

A New Illustrated Library Edition of Don Quixote has been long wanted. 

The principal requirements in such an edition are The translation selected should be the one es¬ 
teemed best by capable critics ; the illustrations should be of the highest artistic merit; the typography, 
paper, binding, etc., should be of the best quality. The publisher trusts that in all these respects, the 
Edition now offered will meet with general approval. 

The translation adopted is that by Motteux. Of this translation Blackwood 1 s Magazine says: — 
“This is, we think, out of all sight, the richest and best. Shelton’s Quixote is undoubtedly well 
worthy of being studied by the English scholar : but it is far too antiquated an affaii to serve the pur¬ 
poses of the English reader. Motteux, the translator of Cefvantes and Rabelais, possesses a native 
humor which no other translator that we ever met with has approached.” 

This judgment is sustained by the following authorities : 

“The most popular versions in English are those of Motteux, Jarvis and Smollet. .Perhaps the 
first is the best of all. It was by a Fienchman who came over to England in the time of James th • 
Second. It betrays nothing of its foreign parentage, however, while its rich and racy diction, and its 
quaint turns of expression, are admirably suited to convey a lively and very faithful image of the 
original. The slight tinge of antiquity, which belongs to the time, is not displeasing, and comports 
well with the tone of knightly dignity which distinguishes the hero P—JV.H. Prescott—Miscellanies, 
Edition 1845, pp. M 9 > I 5 °- 


COMPLETION OF PLANCHES GREAT WORK. 

Cyclopedia of Costume; 

Or, A Dictionary of Dress—Regal, Ecclesiastical, Civil, 
and Military—from the Earliest Period in England to the 
reign of George the Third, including Notices of Contem¬ 
poraneous Fashions on the Continent. By J. R. Planche, 
Somerset Herald. Profusely illustrated by fourteen full- 
page colored plates, some heightened with gold, and many 
hundred others throughout the text. Vol. I.—The Dic¬ 
tionary. Vol. II.—A General Plistory of Costume in 
Europe. 2 vols. 4to, half morocco, gilt top, $45.00. Full 
polished scarlet morocco, gilt edges, $65.00. Full citron 
morocco, extra, gilt edges, very elegant, $80.00. 

“ A comprehensive and highly valuable book of reference. * * * * We have rarely failed 

to rind in this book an account of an article of dress, while in most of the entries curious and in¬ 
structive details are given. * * * * Mr. Plauche’s enormous labour of love, the production of 

a text which, whether in its “ Dictionary” form or in that of the “ General History.” is within its in¬ 
tended scope immeasurably the best and richest work on Costume in English. * * * * This 

book is not only one of the most readable works of the kind, but intrinsically attractive and amusing.” 
— Athenaeum. 

” A most readable and interesting work—and it can scarcely be consulted in vain, whether the 
r ader is in search for information as to military, court, ecclesiastical, legal, or professional costume. 
* * * * All the chromolithographs and most of the woodcut illustrations—the l itter amounting 

to several thousands—are very elaborately executed ; and the work forms a livre de luxe which ren¬ 
ders it equally suited to the library and the ladies’ drawing-room.”— Times. 

“ One of the most perfect works ever published upon the subject. The illustrations are numerous 
and excellent, and would, even without the letterpress, render the work an invaluable book of refer¬ 
ence for information as to costumes for fancy balls and character quadrilles. * * * *Beautifully 

printed and superbly illustrated.”— Standard. 

“ These numbers of a Cyclopaedia of Ancient and Modern Costume give promise that the work 
will be one of the most perfect works ever published upon the subject. The illustrations are nu¬ 
merous and excellent, and would, even without the letter-press, render the work an invaluable book 
of reference for information as to costumes for fancy balls and character quadrilles. . . . Beauti¬ 

fully printed and superbly illustrated.”— Standard. 

‘•Those who know how useful is Fairholt’s brief and necessarily imperfect glossary will be able to 
appreciate the much greater advantages promised by Mr. Blanche’s book ”— Athenaeum . 

The Etcher. 

A Magazine containing the Original Etched-Work of 
Artists, accompanied by descriptive Letterpress. Pub¬ 
lished monthly. Imperial 4to. Price $12.00 per annum. 

This Magazine has been instituted for the purpose of offering to lovers of art an opportunity c.f 
indulging in the acquisition ot some of the best productions of the etching needle at a moderate cost, 
and the works of many well known etchers have already appeared in this publication, including: 
Robert VV. Macbeth. Edwin Edwards, J. P. Heseltine, C. P. Slocombe, R. S. Ghattock, Axel Herman 
Haig, Arthur Evershed, Anna Lea Merritt, E. L. Montefiore, W. H. Urwick, C. J. Watson, C. N. 
Storm Vans’ Gravesande, and many others. 

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

” The Etcher asserts its position with many examples, showing a good deal of technical accom¬ 
plishment and considerable pretensions to high artistic merit.”— The Times. 

“ It is not often that a serial of this nature improves as it goes on. We have, therefore, the more 
pleasure in saying that most ot the prints are exceptionally good.”— The Athenaeum. 

“’For original etchings The Etcher, amongst monthly magazines, is on a way to take a very 
foremost place .”—7 he Academy. 

“ The Etcher, in the course of its short career, has made us acquainted with so many good 
things that we now look forward with agreeable anticipation 'for its monthly reappearance.”— 7 he 
Scotsman. 



7 


Tlie Jesus of History and the Jesus of 
Tradition identified. 

By George Solomon, i vol. 8vo, cloth. $2.00. 

The present age is remarkable for the rise and development of an extraordinary interest .n the 
history of Jesus of Nazareth. The enthusiasm with which the subject is investigated has infected 
tiie scientific mind universally, and the questions raised have agitated the thoughts and disturbed 
tlie dreams of people of nearly every rank and class in the Christian world. 

Hitherto, the traditional accounts have only been explicated in a speculative interest. In these 
pages the first attempt is made to introduce the Christian world to Jesus, as known to history before 
his figure was distorted by popular belief. It is in no spirit of arrogance this task is undertaken, 
but rather of unfeigned surprise that the proof the author has to offer, though within the reach of 
every one, is only now for the first time submitted to the light. That proof he commends to the 
candid consideration of the reader, concerned only that the novelty of his premises may not prej udice 
their reliability, and that his arguments may secure an impartial verdict from an intelligent public. 

The Antiquary. 

A Magazine Devoted to the Study of the Past. Edited by 
Edward Walford, M.A., late Editor of the Gentleman's Maga¬ 
zine. Tastefully printed on hand-made paper, with rough edges, 
and occasionally illustrated. Published monthly, in 4to. $4.00 
per annum; or, in semi-annual volumes half Roxburghe morocco, 
$3.00 each. 


Ebers, Geo. L'Egypte: 
Le Caire. 


Aiexandrie et 


Traduction de Gaston Maspero (professeur au College de 
France). Handsomely printed on tinted paper , of extra quality. 
Most profusely illustrated, with Map and upwards of Three 
hundred and Forty superb engravings on wood , comprising 
Portraits , Types , Views, Scenes , Ornaments , Natural History , 
&c., One large volume. Impl. 4to, handsomely bound in 

half red morocco extra, full gilt. $17.50. 


Resume of Contents : Alexandria, Ancient and Modern ; Across the Delta; Goshen, Mem¬ 
phis, and the Pyramids : Cairo, its Origin, &c. ; Cairo under the Fantimides, &c. ; Cairo under 
the Mamelouk Sultans ; Cairo, its Decadence, Tcmbs, &c., &c. .. , 

Comme execution artistique et typographique, C J'.gyflte de George Ebers, traduite si eiegam- 
ment par M. Maspero, depasse en beaute tout ce qui a ete entrepns dans un genre analogue et 
n .us declarons que la maison Didot, par le tirage splendide de ses gravures sur bois, la belle entente 
et la correction du texte, a faile un chef d’oeuvre qut l’honorc mfimment et qui restera dans les 
temps futurs comme un des symptomes les plus evidents de la renaissance du gout dans les livr.es 
a vignettes. * * * En contemplant cet ouvrage, les bibliophiles les plus difficiles pourrant s eerier 

‘ Hi la un livre'— car ce livre a peu de pendants et semble ddfier la perfection.”— Le Livre. 


NEW EDITION. 


Vaughan’s Hours with the Mystics. 

A contribution to the History of Religious Opinion. New 
Edition, revised and augmented. 2 thick vols. post 8vo, new 
cloth uncut. $7-5°- 

*** An entirely new edition of this valuable work, which has long been out of print, and very 


Christian Mysticism, &c.; The Bagvat- 


scarce. 

Contents : 

Gita 
Church . 

r'plSn'<•»' A S? 

Reformation; Spanish Mystics ; Quietism; Mysticism in England; Emanuel Swedenborg, &c., 6lc. 



8 


Ritual of the Altar: 

The Order of the Holy Communion * with Introits, 
Collects, Epistles, Graduate, Gospels, Offertories, Secrets, 
Communions, and Post-communions .throughout the year, accord¬ 
ing to the Use of the English Church ; Office of Benediction of 
the Holy Sacrament, Order of Ceremonies for Candlemas, Lent, 
and Easter, the Asperges, and divers Benedictions ; together with 
Rubrical Directions, Secret Prayers, Ritual Music, and the 
General Rubrics. Edited by the Rev. Orby Shipley, M. A. 
Second Editipn, revised and enlarged ; rubricated , and illustrated 
with upwards of 70 Woodcuts , and the Crucifixion after Guido. 
Small folio, cloth antique, carmine leaves, pp. 424. $10.00. 

“ Since Mr. Purchas’s famous * Directorium Anglicanum ’ startled both the Church and the 
World, no such meteor has issued from the Press as the last of Mr, Shipley’s .”—Whitehall Review . 


NEW BIBLIOGRAPHICAL MONTHLY. 

Le Livre: Revue Mensuelle. 

Bibliographie Ancienne ; Bibliographie Moderne ; 
Bibliographie Bibliographique. Imperial 8vo, beautifully 
printed, partly on Holland Paper, making 3 vote, per annum. 
Monthly Parts. $12.00 per annum. By mail, prepaid, $13.00. 

The number of eminent writers and specialists attached to the editorial department of “Le Livre” 
■will confer on its pages that spice of variety so important in a publication of this sort. The foreign 
correspondence will be confided to the most competent writers in each country. 

We cannot too strongly commend this important review to the attention of book-collectors, and 
practical men generally. Its aim is to give a monthly account of the movements of the intellectual 
world; to present succinct criticisms of the principal recent publications, together with instructive 
and attractive bibliographical essays on old and modern books, and, in fine, to treat of everything 
which relates to literature. This breadth of scope will render it the complctest journal of its kind, 
especially from the originality and variety of its articles, and the generality ot its criticisms. Its size 
of page—large 8vo—permits the introduction of reproductions of all descriptions—the ornamentation 
of different epochs, with its various styles, as well as illustrations by the various processes used for 
the finer class of books. Each number will be divided into three parts, each distinct from the other, 
and separately paged. 

Lacroix (Paul). Middle Ages 

And Eighteenth Century, comprising Arts in the Middle 
Ages. 19 Chromo-lithographic prints anil 500 woodcuts , 1 vol. 
Manners, Customs and Dress. 19 colored plates and 400 
woodcuts, 1 vol. Science and Literature, 13 colored plates 
and 400 engravings on wood, 1 vol. Military and Religious 
Life, 14 colored plates and 400 engravings on wood. The 
XVIIIth Century, Institutions, Customs, and Costumes, France, 
1700-1789. 21 colored plates and 351 woodcuts. Together, 5 

large vote. imp. 8vo, hf. morocco, gilt tops. $37.50. 

-Another Copy. Handsomely bound in full claret 

morocco, full gilt sides, backs, and gilt edges. $75.00. 

%* A superb series, peculiarly appropriate for presentation. 

These are undoubtedly the most interesting, as well as the most splendid works yet published 
©n the arts and manners of the Middle Ages, to which they serve as a sort of Encyclopaedia, exhibit¬ 
ing choice specimens of Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Furniture, Stained Glass, Arms, and 
Arm^r, Manuscripts, Missals, Tapestry, Costume, Gold and Silver Work, &c., &c. 



9 


Bibliography of Printing, 

With Notes and Illustrations, compiled by E. C. Bigmore and 
C. W. H. Wyman. Aol. I.—A to L. Foolscap 4/0, xii. and 450 
PP" with 116 cuts of Printers'’ Marks , Facsimiles of Block-prints , 
6^., half morocco . Price , $20.00. 

*** Only 250 Comes Printed, type distributed. 

1 hese pages have been illustrated by a large number of interesting cuts, derived from various 
sources. Most of those representing the printers’ devices were engraved with his own hand by Mr. 
J. ru. bEKjEAU, and originally published in his little volume on “Printers’ Marks,” and in his 
bookworm. Both of these works being out of print, and almost unattainable, the blocks were 
acquired, and they are here given in order, under the names of the printers who use them. A large 
number of other blocks (chiefly reproductions from very old standard and rare books) were obtained 
through the kindness of the author of “The Invention of Printing.” Indeed, these pages are 
enriched with probably the largest and most representative collection of delineations of typographical 
monuments, and of portraits ol notabilities, that has ever been presented in one work. 

Special attention is drawn to the many original Biographical Notices that are given of 
English and Foreign printers; these have been obtained under exceptionally favorable 
circumstances. See, jor instance , in Volume /., the articles on Bewick, Bowyek, Bulmer, 
Caslon, Caxton, Didot, Kngelmann, Enschede, Figgins, Franklin, Gutenberg, Hansard, 
Kostek, Leeu, and others. 

La Renaissance en France, 

Par Leon Palustre (Directeur de la Soc. Franchise D’Archeo- 
logie). Illustrated under the direction of Eugene Sadoux. 

TO BE PUBLISHED IN ABOUT 30 PARTS, SMI.. FOLIO (13x18 in.), 

with 5 large full page etchings and 10 to 15 etchings printed in 
the text . The Text printed from new Characters on 
Vellum Paper, with Rubricated Initials, Head and Tail 
Pieces, &c., &c., in the most superb manner. 

Parts I. and II., now ready. 

Viz.: Part I. Flandre, Artois, Picardie, $7.50. 

“ II. Ile de France (Oise), $7.50. 

The price of these numbers will vary, according to size 
and importance, from $4.50 to $9.00. 

Subscriptions must be for the entire work. 

Up to the present time no work has been published giving a full survey of the Renaissance, that 
wonderful period when the arts were transformed and regenerated in a body. The soil of France is 
covered with monuments bearing witness to this great movement, but, while many are in ruins, others 
are forgotten in the rural districts or extinguished by more recent constructions. The author has 
journeyed through the various provinces of France for many years, and the present book is the 
result of patient researches. It effects a restoration all the more valuable from the fact that it vin¬ 
dicates the national art of France from the charge of being a mere imitation of Italian art. The 
illustrations are from pictures sketched on the spot, and unite scrupulous fidelity with the highest 
artistic excellence. 

A HIGHLY INTERESTING FACSIMILE REPRINT 

Tlie Imitation of Christ, 

Being the Autograph Manuscript of Thomas a Kempis. 
Reproduced in Facsimile from the Original, Preserved in the 
Royal Library, Brussels, with an introduction by Charles 
Ruckens, Keeper of the Department of MSS. in the Royal 
Library. Sq. i6mo, antique morocco, uncut. $4.00. 

*** No book, save the Holy Bible, has been so often reproduced as the “Imitation of Jesus 
Christ ” Before the close of the fifteenth century, numberless transcripts had been made by monks 
and scribes, and at least eighty editions had been issued from the press between the date of that 
printed hy Gunther Zainer at Augsburg, about 1470, and the year 1500. 



10 


f 


UNIFORM WITH THE POETICAL WORKS . 

Shelley’s (Percy Bysshe) Prose Works, 

With great additions never before collected. Edited by 
Harry Buxton Forman. Handsomely printed on heavy paper 
from large type. 4 vols. demy 8vo, new cloth, uncut. $20.00. 

*** This will complete, with the Poetical Works, 4. vols. by the same Editor, the only complete 
and uniform edition of Shelley’s works, with index and title pages to the whole 8 vols. 

-Works Complete. 

Poetry and Prose, with portraits and plates, Edited by 
Harry Buxton Forman. 8 vols. demy 8vo, new cloth, uncut. 
$40.00. 

*** But a small edition was printed; the Poetical Works are nearly out of print, and must 
enhance considerably in value. 


PARIS EXHIBITION\OF 1S7S. 

L’Art Ancien ct Moderate a FEx- 
position de 1878 . 

Par MM. Beaumont, Biais, Bonaffe, Darcel, Duranty, Ephrussi, 
Lavoix, Paul Mantz, H. Havaid, Montaiglon, &c., &c., under 
the supervision of Louis Gonse. Illustrated with 45 large full- 
page Etchings by Jacquanart , B01 Ivin, Champollion. Flameng, 
Gaillard , Gaucherel, Lalauze, Le Rat, and others ; also, several 
hundred engraved cuts in the text. Two very large Vols. 
Imp. Svo, handsomely printed on heavy tinted paper — paper, 
uncut. $15.00. 

*** A marvel of cheapness. 

Two superb volumes, of upwards of 500 pages each, offering a full and comprehensive survey of 
the Art Treasures, Ancient and Modern, gathered at the Great Exhibition in 1878: with critical and 
descriptive notices by the best special writers in the various departments. 

The Volume devoted to Ancient Art comprises a notable series on the gatherings at the Troca- 
dero, with a Series of etched illustrations by Jacquemart, Gaillard, &c. 

The Volume on Modern Art is one of exceptional interest and value, as well for the ciitical and 
descriptive notices of contemporary paintings, as the remarkable series of Etched illustrations, 
including two of the marvelous plates by Gaillard, celebrated for their minute and almost microscopic 
detail in execution ; other notable plates such as the “ Femme Couchant,” after Henner, by Morse; 
the Portrait of Alexandre Dumas, after Meissonier; Makart’s ‘‘Entry of Charles V. into Ant¬ 
werp,” &c., &c 

The text includes descriptive accounts of the Departments of Architecture, Jewelry, Bronzes, 
Furniture, Ceramics, Tissues, Embroideries, Tapestry, Art, Books, Ornamental Iron Work, &c., 
&c , all of which are fully illustrated. 


. DICTIONARY OF FRENCH SLANG. 

Larcliey. Dictionnaire Historique 
d’Argot, 

Huitieme Edition des Excentricites du Langage augmentee 
d’un supplement mis a la hauteur des Revolutions du jour. 
Closely printed in double columns, upwards of 500 pp. Thick 
121110, paper, uncut. $2.50. Or, in hf. morrocco, gilt top. $4.00. 

Last and Best Edition of this invaluable work ; the new matter comprises some 2,784 new words. 




11 


GREATLY REDUCED IN PRICE. 

Lane’s Arabian Nights. 

A new Translation from the Arabic, with copious notes by 
Edward William Lane. Illustrated with many hundred en¬ 
gravings on zvood from original designs by William Harvey. 
New Edition, from a copy annotated by the Translator, Edited 
by his Nephew, E. S. Poole. 3 thick vols. 8vo, new cloth, uncut. 
$9.00 (former price $16.00). 

-THE SAME, Elegantly bound in calf , extra. $20.00. 

*** The Standard Library Edition, now offered at a figure that will place it within the reach of 
buyers of moderate means. 

“The Arabian Nights have lost none of their charms for me. All the learned wiseacres in 
England cried out against this wonderful work upon its first appearance, Gray among the rest. Yet 
I doubt whether any man, except Shakespeare, has afforded so much delight, if we open our hearts 
to receive it. The author of the Arabian Nights was the greatest benefactor the East ever had, not 
excepting Mahomet. All the springs of the Desert have less refreshed the Arabs than those de ight- 
ful tales, and they cast their gems and genii over our benighted and foggy regions .”—Leigk Hunt. 


THE GREAT DICTIONARY OF EAROUSSR. 

Grand Dictionnaire Universel du XIX E 
Siecle. 

Frangais, Historique, Geographique, Biographique, Mytholo- 
gique, Bibliographique, Litteraire, Artistique, Scientiliqne, &c. 
Comprenant: La langue frangaise; la prononciation ; les etymol¬ 
ogies ; la conjugaison de tous les verbes irreguliers ; les regies de 
grammaire ; les innombrables acceptions et les locutions fannlieres 
et proverbiales ; l’histoire ; la geographic ; la solution des prob- 
lemes historiques; la biographie de tous les homines remarqu- 
ables, morts ou vivants; la mythologie; les sciences physiques, 
mathematiques et naturelles; les sciences morales et politiques; 
les pseudo-sciences; les inventions et decouvertes, &c., &c., &c. 
Parties neuves : les types et les personnages litteraires ; les heros 
d’epopees et de romans; les caricatures politiques et sociales; 
la bibliographic generate ; une anthologie des allusions frangaises, 
etrangeres, latines et mythologiques; les beaux-arts et l’analyse 
de toutes les oeuvres d’Art. Par M. Pierre Larousse. With 
Supplement. Together, 16 large volumes, roy, qto, new hf. 
morocco. $210.00. 

This great Encyclopaedia, the most considerable undertaking of its kind since the invention of 
Printing, is now offered in complete form. • . 

The text is carefully printed from new fonts of small but clear type, with four columns to the page, 
and an average of above ;,ooo pages to each volume. Some idea of the vast mass of matter contained 
in the work may be obtained when it is understood that if the same matter were printed in ordinary 
demy 8vo, similar in type to the 25 vol. Edition of Scott’s Novels, it would occupy some 500 volumes 

Albert Purer, sa Yie et ses CEuvres. 

Par Moriz Thaussing. Traduit de i’Allemand avec l’Autori- 
sation de 1’Auteur, par Gustave Gruyer. Fine portrait and 
75 beautiful copper-plate reproductions from his most notable 
works , by the li.mand-Hurand process. Roy. Svo, paper, uncut. 
$ 12 . 00 . 



12 


s 


EDITION DE VAMATEUR. 

Fables de La Fontaine. 

Illustrees a l’ Eau-forte, par A. Delierre, with Prefaces, 
Notes, &c., &c. The text sumptuously printed from large old- 
style type on heavy papier a la cuve , made expressly for the work. 
Illustrated with 48 full-page etchings from the drawings, designed 
and etched by Delierre. Impl. 8vo. 

*** The work will be published in 13 parts—at intervals of 3 
months—with 6 full-page etchings to each part. 

Ordinary Edition, on heavy paper (a small impression only). 
Per part, $4.50. 

Special Impression. 50 copies (numbered), text printed on 
India Paper, plates in two states, viz.: on Holland, with letters, 
and on Japan paper before letters. Per part, $10.00. 

Special Impression. 50 copies (numbered) text printed on 
Whatman paper, plates with letters on Holland, and before let¬ 
ters on Japan . Per part, $10.00. 

Judging from the initial number, which is now ready, this new edition of the Fables de La Fon¬ 
taine bias fair to overshadow, both in artistic and typographic excellence, any and all of the editions 
hitnerto published. 

M. Quantin, in the short space in wh*ich his name has been before the public, has already ac¬ 
quired a position as publisher of artistic works, that entitles him to the highest rank in the guild. 
His imprint on the title-page of a book is in itself a sufficient guarantee of artistic and typographic 
excellence. 


A SUPERB IVOR A" ON ORNAMENTAL BINDING . 

La Eeliure Frangaise, 

Depuis l’invention de lTmprimerie jusqu’a la fin du XVIII E 
siecle par MM. Marius Michel, Relieurs-Doreurs. 

A large volume handsomely printed on heavy tinted paper by 
Messrs. PI on cr> Cie., profusely illustrated with figures ill the text , 
and 22 large etched plates of full size, from the most notable speci¬ 
mens in public and private collections. (Plates printed by Salmon.) 
Impl. 8vo, colombier, broche. $15.00. 

-A limited number printed on Japan paper, fabrique 

du Mikado , with the frontispiece before the letter and artist 
proof, with remarque. Impl. 8vo, broche. $30.00. 

*** The important work now offered to the public is the first really serious effort at a history of 
an art of the greatest interest to admirers of books. 

It gives a chronological and artistic survey of the art of binding, from the invention of printing. 
A mere verbal description, however complete, could give but an imperfect idea of the art. The 
roughest sketch conveys more than pages of description. For this reason, the authors have profusely 
illustrated their text with types of the ornamentation of the styles successively employed in the 
binding of books. In addition, twenty-two full-page plates are given, representing bindings of books 
formerly in possession of sovereigns and famous men. These are taken from the Bibliotheque Nation- 
ale, the Bibliotheque Mazarine, the private collections of the Duke d’Aumale, Baron James de 
Rothschild, Baron Pichon, and Messrs. Eugene Dubuit and Ernest Quentin-Bauchart, and 
include, among other specimens. Francis the First’s copy of the Bible of Robert Stephens, with the 
salamander, specimens of the different styles of Grolier, and a series of superb bindings bearing the 
initials of Henry the Second intertwined with the crescents and arcs of the beautiful Duchess of 
Valentinois. 

The Heptameron 

Of Margaret, Queen of Navarre. Translated from the 
French. With Illustrations Drawn and Engraved by Leopold 
Flameng. 121110, cloth. $1.50. 


«*■ 



13 



SPLENDID NEW WO PA' ON ANCIENT ART. 


Monuments de l’Art Antique. 

Published under the Direction of M. Olivier Ravet. Illus* 
trated with 15 Autotype Engravings. Part 1. $7.50. To be 
completed in six parts. 


trr.nZlr P 'U W , hich ^ he e ^ ito f P ro P oses “ not to follow the beaten track, such as is employed 
fhem witl^descriptive text!*' ^ l ° Uke ° nly the hlghest art sub J ects > and to present illustrations 


in 

oi 


The Decameron, 

Or, Ten Days’ Entertainment of Boccaccio. A revised 
translation, by W. K. Kelly, with Portrait and Ten Illustrations, 
Drawn and Engraved by Leopold Flameng. i vol. 121110, red 
cloth, uncut edges. $1.50. 


Herculanum et Pomp^i, 

Recueil general des Peintures, Bronzes, Mosaiques, &c., 
decouverts jusqu’a ce jour et reproduits d’apres tous les 
ouvrages publies jusqu’a present avec un texte explicatif de M. 
Barr6 ? with upwards of 700 fine engravings in outline. 8 vols, 
Impl. 8vo, French boards, uncut. $40.00. 

*** This is the most compi.ete work on the discoveries at Herculanaeum and Pompeii, 
exhibiting all the Paintings, Bronzes, Miniatures. &c., hitherto published in rare or expensive 
works, with the addition of many others which have not previously appeared—Vol. VIII. consists of 
the Mus£e Secret, and is inclosed in a case. 


Shakespeare Concordance. 

Mrs. Cowden Clarke’s Concordance to Shakespeare, being 
a Verbal Index to all Passages in the Dramatic Works of the 
Poet. New and Revised Edition.. Super Royal 8vo, cloth, pp. 
860, new cloth, gilt top. $7.50. 

11 Shakespeare, the most frequently quoted, because the most universal-minded genius that ever 
lived, of all authors best deserves a complete concordance to his works. To what subject may we 
not with felicity apply a motto from this greatest of poets? ” 

Gazette des Beaux-Arts. 

COURRIER EUROPEEN DE L’ART ET DE LA 
CURIOSITE. A Monthly Illustrated and Critical Journal of 
the Fine Arts. Yearly Subscription (including the Chronique 
des Arts , weekly), $15.00. 

Sent, postage free, to any part of the United States. Payable 
strictly in advance. 

*** For twenty-one years the Gazette des Beaux-Arts has enjoyed a European reputation. 
From the very first it has been the channel through which have flowed the best artistic talent and 
critical eloquence of the day. Each monthly part consists of about ninety pages, embellished with a 
luxury of fine cuts and reproductions, besides which there are inserted every month a number of 
magnificent Etchings, by the first living masters of aqua fortis, which have made the Gazette 
supreme in the annals of the art—the finest efforts of Jacquemart. Flameng. Rajon , IValtner, 
I.alauze, Mongin . Gaillard , Laguillermie , etc. This publication, in fact, is the established 
classic of Art in periodic form. Besides its monthly parts, forming over 1,000 pages per year (size 
11^x7% inches), the Gazette supplies, gratis, a weekly supplement, called the Chronique , containing 
art-news, notices and prices of important sales, and current topics of interest. 


14 


Origin, Progress, and Destiny of the 
English Language and Literature. 

By John A. Weisse, M.D. i vol., 8 vo. 700 pages, 
cloth, $5.00. 

The object of this work, to which the author has devoted his time and labors for thirty years, is ; 
I. To lay before the English speaking populations, in both hemispheres, the real origin and progress 
of their language. 2. To make the coming generation realize the superiority of their idiom over 
others, as to the refinement and vigor of its vocabulary, clearness of diction, simplicity in grammar, 
and directness in construction. 3. To show the inconsistency of so-called English orthography. g. 
To suggest a method to write and print English as it is pronounced, and remove the few remaining 
irregularities from its grammar. 5. Last, To stimulate the English-speaking millions all over the 
globe, so to simplify the uttering, writing, and printing of their language as to make it a desideratum 
for universal adoption. 

“ The author has analyzed the philosophy of language by a new method, so thorough, that the 
deepest scholar cannot cut a flaw in it; so clear that a school boy of fifteen can comprehend it.”— 
Philadelphia Press. 

“We have here before us a volume of value, and of real interest to every scholar. Its title 
describes it well, but an examination is needful to show with what patience, industry and skill the 
author has spent his strength and time. Sic.”-— N. I' Observer. 

“ A work of unique and curious interest is that upon the Origin, Progress and Destiny of the 
English Language, by John A. Weisse, M.D.”— Boston Journal . 

“ We heartily commend the work to the Educational authorities of America, who will find it a 
useful work of reference, and a text book of great value for their higher classes.”— N. Y. Herald. 

“ A book of more interest than this to the teacher, the philologist and the general student, has not 
been published in a long time. The great harmony and interesting facts of this bcok make it a rare 
historic contribution to philology.”— Cincinnati Commercial. 

“Dr. Weisse’s survey of the growth of our language and literature from i6co to 1878, is a com¬ 
prehensive and masterly one, and his analysis of the former at different periods is very interesting 
and valuable.”— Melbourne Argus. 

“ Dr. Weisse has made a valuable contribution to English literature, as well as to philo'ogy, and 
has written a book which will interest not only scholars, but all cultivated persons. *•' * We 

have passed the limits of an ordinary review and have been unable to mention some of the most in¬ 
teresting things in this curious book.’— Chicago Tribune . 

“ I11 conclusion we must express our sympathy with Dr. Weisse, whose learned industry deserves 
for many reasons a very high commendation. He has treated his subject in an ample and compre¬ 
hensive manner.”— National Quarterly Review.. 

“ Dr. John A. Weisse, the eminent German-American Philologist, gives to the world a book that 
bears witness at once to his German erudition and to his practical American experience. A certain 
vivacity sparkles in the interesting chapters of literary history, with which he relieves his comparatively 
dry philologic 1 statistics.”— Evening Express. 

“A work which will certainly command attention, has lately been published by Bouton, under the 
title Origin, Progress and Destiny of the English Language and Literature, by John A. Weisse, M.D. 
The scope of the author’s undertaking is almost encyclopaedic, etc., etc.— N. L. Sun. 

“The investigations comprise a most comprehensive and exhaustive chronicle of the gradual 
evolution of our language from the early tongues of western Europe by the process of assimilation and 
accretion.”— N. Y. Daily Graphic. 

“ The work is one of great interest. Its conclusions are extremely interesting, and the processes 
by which they are reached are very suggestive,” etc.— Evening Post. 

“The undertaking Dr. Weisse has carried to a successful issue is marvelous in the amount cf 
labor involved, the skillful insight into a foreign tongue, and the perseverance manifested in carrying 
out in every minute particular the scheme so ingeniously planned,” etc.— Providence Journal. 

“Dr. J. A. Weisse, with a full measure of Teutonic patience and learning, has just published an 
interesting and exhaustive work on the English language and literature, which shows that the bent of 
the German mind has not been warped from its original ip.clination in the process of transplantation to 
the trans-adantic shores, etc. ... In patient and laborious research, and in minute and untiring 
investigation, the German scholar far surpasses all other explorers in the realms cf literature and 
science. It is almost superfluous to mention Voss, Ilcgel, Max Mullet,” etc. --Port Elizabeth 
Telegraph, Cape op Good Hope. 

“A remarkable monument of wide linguistic knowledge and great perseverance comes to us from 
America on the ‘ Origin, Progress and Destiny of the English Language,’ etc. . . Of the author’s 

originality, both in conception and in execution, there can be no doubt.”— The Scotchman, Edin¬ 
burgh. 

“‘Origin Progress and Destiny of the English language and Literature,’ is a book of books. 
Full of profound research and erudition, it will live long as a monument of the author’s industry and 
talents, etc. . . . Dr. Weisse has adopted a new method of analysing the English language. He 

starts with the Fifth Century and comes up to the Nineteenth, in fact to the year IS7S,” etc .—Indian 
Spectator , Bombay , India. 

“ Certainly, for mathematical demonstration, no author can be expected to take more pains than 
Dr. Weisse .”—Boston Daily Advertiser. 

“ What will most strike the reader cf Dr. Weissc’s book is the great industry shown in the careful 
analyses, which he has made of English writings, etc. Not alone are the best writer's considered, 
but almost all writers, etc. . . . There is so much of fact and so little of theory, etc.”— N. V. World 


4 


15 

KEW EDITION", WITH PORTRAIT OF THE AUTIIOR. 

Isis Unveiled; 

A Master Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern 
Science and Theology. By H. P. Blavatsky, Corresponding 
Secretary of the Theosophical Society. 2 vols. Royal 8 vo , about 
1,500 pages, cloth , $ 7 . 50 . Fourth Edition. 

The recent revival of interest in Philology and Archaeology, resulting from the labors of 
Bunsen, Layard, Higgins, Muller, Dr. Schliemann, and others, has created a great demand 
for works upon Eastern topics. 

To the scholar and the specialist, to the philologist and the archaeologist, this work will be a 
most valuable acquisition, aiding them in their labors and giving to them the only clue to the 
labyrinth of confusion in which they are involved. To the general reader it will be especially 
attractive b'cause of its fascinating styie and pleasing arrangement, presenting a constant variety 
of racy anecdote, pithy thought, sound scholarship, and vivid description. Mme. Blavatsky 
possesses the happy gift of versatility in an eminent degree, and her style is varied to suit her 
theme with a graceful ease refreshing to the reader, who is led without weariness from page to 
page. The author has accomplished her task with ability, and has conferred upon all a precious 
boon, whose benefit the scientist as well as the religionist, the specialist as well ae the general 
reader, will not be slow to recognize. 

OPINIONS OF LEADING JOURNALS. 

“This monumental work * * * about everything relating to magic, mystery, witchcraft, 

religion, spiritualism, which would be valuable in an encyclopaedia.”— North American Review. 

“ It must be acknowledged that she is a remarkable woman, who has read more, seen more, and 
thought more than most wise men. Her work abounds in quotations from a dozen different lan¬ 
guages, not for the purpose of a vain display of erudition, but to substantiate her peculiar views, * * 

* her pages are garnished with loot-notes establishing as her authorities, some of the profoundest 
writers of the past. To a large class of readers, this remarkable work will prove of absorbing inter¬ 
est. * * * * Demands the earnest attention of thinkers, and merits an analytic reading.”— 

Boston Evening Transcript. 

“The appearance of erudition is stupendous. Reference to and quotations from the most un¬ 
known and obscure writers in all languages abound, interspersed wtth alius ons to writers of the 
highest repute, which have evidently been more than skimmed through.”— Independent. 

“ An extremely readable and exhaustive essay upon the paramount importance of re-establishing 
the Hermetic Philosophy in a world which blindly believes that it has outgrown it.”— World. 

“ Most remarkable book of the season.”— Com. Advertiser. 

“ Readers who have never made themselves acquainted with the literature of mysticism and 
alchemy, the volume will furnish the materials for an interesting study—a mine of curious informa¬ 
tion.”— Evening Tost. 

“ They give evidence of much and multifarious research on the part of the author, and contain a 
vast number of interesting stories. Persons fond of the marvellous will find in them an abundance of 
entertainment.”— N. Y. Sun. 

“ A marvellous book both in matter and manner of treatment. Some idea may be formed of the 
rarity and extent o its contents when the index alone comprises fifty pages, and we venture nothing 
in saying that such an index of subjects was never before compiled by any human being. * * * 

But the book is a curious one and will no doubt find its way into libraries because of the unique sub¬ 
ject matter it contains, * * * will certainly prove attractive to all who are interested in the his¬ 

tory, theology and the mysteries of the ancient world.”— Daily Graphic. 

“The present work is the fruit of her remarkable course of education, and amply confirm her 
claims to the character of an adept in secret science, and even to the rank of a hierophant in the ex¬ 
position of its mystic lore.”— N. Y. Tribune. . 

“ One who reads the book carefully through ought to know everything of the marvellous and 
mystical, except, perhaps, the passwords. 4 Isis ’ will supplement the Anacalypsis. Whoever loves 
to read Godfrey Higgins will be delighted with Mme. Blavatsky. There is a great resemblance be¬ 
tween their works. Both have tried hard to tell everything apocryphal and apocalyptic. It is easy to 
forecast the reception of this book. With its striking peculiarities, its audacity, its versatility and the 
prodigious variety of subjects which it notices and handles, it is one of the remarkable produc ions of 

the century.”— N. Y. Herald. . 

“ In nothing does Madame Blavatsky show her wonderful ability in a more marked degree than 
In her use of the English language. Her style is singularly vigorous, perspicuous and piquant. Her 
scholarship is varied and comprehensive. In metaphysical keenness she shows a power that few 
writers of our day have attained to. We doubt if Mrs. Lewes (George Elliot), can be called her 
equal in this respect. Her critical insight is also most remarkable. It seems more like an intuition 
than the result of study, and yet that she has been a profound student the authorities referred to in 
her work abundantly show. From the specimens we have seen of its pages we can vouch for its 
absorbing interest, and for the strength and fascination of the style.”— Epes Sargeant. 

“We do not hesitate to express the opinion that she has made a gallant and measurably suc¬ 
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of Isis has not indeed been swept away, at least so many of the folds have been removed that we are 
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achieved an unquestioned triumph, where such a result would have been specially gratifying, she has 
at least the consolation of knowing that she has surpassed all her piedecessors, in a task, complete 
failure to achieve which would have involved no humiliation. She has produced a unique work, and 
it wi.l become a classic.”-— Sacramento Record Union. 


NEW AND GREATLY ENLARGED EDITION. 


The Rosicrucians. 

Their Rites and Mysteries, with Chapters on the An¬ 
cient Fire and Serpent Worshippers, and Explanations of 
the Mystic Symbols represented in the Monuments and 
Talismans of the Primaeval Philosophers. By HARGRAVE 
JENNINGS. Second Edition, revised, corrected and en¬ 
larged. Illustrated with upwards of 300 Engravings. I 
vol. Post 8vo, cloth, extra. $2.50. 

*** “Will be useful to persons interested in the study of symbolism and comparative religion, to 
numismatists, and, in a less degree, to students of ancient architecture. Mr. Jennings has devoted 
t'venty-eight years to study ot the Rosicrucians, and in deprecating acceptance, ot the ordinary pub¬ 
lished accounts of the fraternity, either in English or the foreign languages, which he has found to be 
ignorant and prejudiced, and generally drawn from a single source, he has the authority doubtless of an 
expert. His own work is chiefly a history of the alchemists, with a sympathetic and enthusiastic ex¬ 
position of the Latin writings of the great English Rosicrucian. Robert Elood, who died in 1637, and is 
incidentally explanatory of pagan and Christian symbols. The chapters on fire and serpent worship 
are admirable and elevated, and the defence of the Rosicrucian assumption of power to produce gold 
and prolong life is curiously ingenious in its air of strictly scientific reasoning.”— Nature. 

The Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia 

Of History, Rites, Symbolism, and Biography. By KEN¬ 
NETH R. PI. Mackenzie, i vol. demy Svo, cloth (pp. 
768), $7.00. 

The most complete and valuable work of reference that has ever been presented to the Craft. 

“The task of the Editor has been admirably performed, and there can be no question the work will 
be a valuable addition to every Masonic library.”— Freemason's Chronicle. 

“ The Editor has lavished much reading and labor on his subject.”— Sunday Times. 

“A deeply-learned work for the benefit of Freemasons.”— Publishers' Circular. 

“Your new work is excellent.”—Rro. W. R. Woodman, M.D., G.S.B. 

“ Evidences a considerable amount of hard work, alike in research and study, . . . and we 

can honestly and sincerely say we wish fraternally all success to the Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia.”— 
Freemason. 


OFFERED AT A GREA T REDUCTION IN PRICE. 

An Analysis of Religious Belief. 

By Viscount Amberley. “ Yc shall know the truth, 
and the truth shall make you free.” 2 large, handsomely 
printed vols. demy Svo, new cloth, uncut. $8.00 ( usual 
price $15.00). 

u Let them (the readers) remember that while he assails much which they reckon unassailable, he 
does so in what to him is the cause of goodness, nobleness, love, truth, and of the mental progress of 
mankind.”— Extract front Lady Russell's Preface. 

“ He has bequeathed to the world a collection of interesting facts for others to make use of. It is a 
museum of antiquities, relics, and curiosities. All of the religions of the world are here jostling one an¬ 
other in picturesque confusion, like the figures in a masquerade.”— Times. 

“This work has more than one claim on the reader’s attention. Its intrinsic interest is consider¬ 
able.”— S/>ecta tor. 

“ No one will fail during its perusal to be deeply interested, and, what is more, powerfully stimu¬ 
lated to independent thought.”— Examiner . 

Bible of Humanity; 

By Jules Michelet, author of “The History of France,’’ 
“ Priests, Women, and Families,” “ L’Amour,” etc. Translated 
from the French by V. Calfa. 1 vol. 8 vo, cloth , $ 3 . 00 . 

“His Bible of Humanity is a large epic in prose. The artist-historian, in the manner of inspired 
men and prophets, sings the evolution of mankind. There is no doubt that he throws brilliant 
glimpses of light on the long course of events and works which he unfolds; but at the same time 
he carries away the reader with such rapid flight of imagination as almost to make him giddy.”— 
Larousae's Universal Dictionary . 


17 

NEW EDITION OF HIGGINS’ GREAT WORK. 

Tlie Anacalypsis; 

An attempt to draw aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis; or, an 
Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations, and Religions. 
By Godfrey IIiggins, Esq. Vol. I., Svo, cloth, $L 50 . To 
be completed in four volumes. 

The extreme rarity, and consequent high price of the ‘‘Anacalypsis” has hitherto placed it 
beyond the reach of many scholars and students. The new edition is issued in a much more con¬ 
venient form, and sold at less than one-sixth of the price of the original. 

The powerful though rather dogmatic logic, and the profound learning of the author, give tho 
work t singular importance; and in a thinking age, when m my things formerly considered - ruths 
are passing away into the shadows of tradition, the student of comparative mythology and tho 
origin of religion and'anguages will look upon Higgins’ Anacalypsis as his guide and luminary 
through the darkness of dawning science. 


Payne Knight’s Worship of Priapus. 

A discourse on the Worship of Priapus, and its connec¬ 
tion with the Mystic Theology of the Ancients. By 
Richard Payne Knight, Esq. A new edition. To 
which is added an essay on the worship of the generative 
powers during the middle ages of Western Europe. Il¬ 
lustrated with 138 engravings (many of which are full- 
page), from Ancient Gems, Coins, Medals, Bronzes, 
Sculpture, Egyptian Figures, Ornaments, Monuments, 
etc. Printed on heavy toned paper, at the Chiswick Press, 
I vol. 4to, half Roxburghe morocco, gilt top, $35.00. 

“R. P. Knight, the writer of the first ‘Essay,” was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a member of 
the British Parliament, and one of the most learned antiquaries of his time. His museum of Phallic 
objects is now most carefully preserved in the London British Museum. The second ‘ Essay,’ bring¬ 
ing our knowledge of the worship of Priapus down to the present time, so as to include the’more 
recent discoveries throwing any light upon the matter, is said to be by one of the most distinguished 
English antiquaries—the author of numerous works which are held in high esteem. He was assisted 
it is understood, by two prominent Fellows of the Royal Society, one of whom has recently presented 
a wonderful collection of Phallic objects to the British Museum authorities.” 


Ancient Art and Mythology. 


The Symbolical Language of Ancient Art and Mytho¬ 
logy. An Inquiry. By Richard Payne Knight, 
author of “Worship of Priapus.” A new edition, with 
Introduction, Notes translated into English, and a new and 
complete Index. By Alexander Wilder, M.D. i vol. 
8vo, cloth, handsomely printed, $3.00. 


« Not only do these explanations afford a key to the religion and mythology of the ancients, but 
they also enable a more thorough understanding of the canons and principles of art. It is well known 
that the latter were closely allied to the other ; so tha: the symbolism of which the religious emblems and 
furniture consisted likewise constituted the essentials of architectural style and decoration, textile em¬ 
bellishments, as well as the arts of sculpture, painting, and engraving. Mr. Knight has treated the 
subject with rare erudition and ingenuity, and with such success that the labor of those who come after 
him rather add to the results of his investigations than replace them in important particulars. The 
labors of Chainpollion, Bunsen, I.ayard, Bonomi, the Rawlmsons, and others, comprise his deductions 
so remarkably as to dissipate whatever of his assertions that appeared fanciful. Not only are the 
writings of Greek and Roman authors now more easy to comprehend, but additional light has been. 
afTordid to a correct understanding of the canon of the Holy benpture. -Extract from Editor's. 
Preface. 


18 


Dr. Inman’s Ancient Faiths. 

Embodied in Ancient Names ; or, an Attempt to trace 
the Religious Belief, Sacred Rites, and Holy Emblems of 
certain Nations, by an Interpretation of the Names given 
to Children by Priestly Authority, or assumed by Prophets, 
Kings, and Hierarchs. By Thomas Inman, M.D. Pro¬ 
fusely illustrated with Engravings on Wood. 2 vols., 8vo, 
cloth, $20.00. 

“ Dr. Inman’s present attempt to trace the religious belief, sacred rites, and holy emblems of certain 
nations, has opened up to him many hitherto unexplored fields of research, or, at least, fields that 
have not been over-cultivated, and the result is a most curious and miscellaneous harvest of facts. 
The ideas on phallism developed in a former volume receive further extension in this. Dr. Inman, as 
will be seen, does not fear to touch subjects usually considered sacred in an independent manner, and 
some of the results at which he has arrived are such as will undoubtedly startle, if not shod:, the 
orthodox. But this is what the author expects, and for this he has thoroughly prepared himself. In 
illustration of his peculiar views he has ransacked a vast variety of historical storehouses, and with 
great trouble and at a considerable cost, he places the conclusions at which he has arrived before the 
world. With the arguments employed, the majority of readers will, we expect, disagree ; even when 
the facts adduced will remain undisputed, their application is frequently inconsequent. In showing 
the absurdity of a narrative or an event in which he disbelieves, the Doctor is powerful. No ex¬ 
pense has been spared on the work, which is well and fully illustrated, and contains a good index.”— 
Bookseller, 

A SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUME TO “ANCIENT FAITHS.” 

Ancient Faiths and Modern. 

A Dissertation upon Worships, Legends, and Divinities 
in Central and Western Asia, Europe, and Elsewhere, 
before the Christian Era. Showing their Relations to 
Religious Customs as they now exist. By THOMAS 
Inman, M.D., author of “Ancient Faiths Embodied in 
Ancient Names/' etc., etc. I vol. 8vo, cloth, $5.00. 

This work is most aptly expressed by the title, and the author, who is one of our most learned and 
accomplished modern writers, has done ample justice to his subject. He pries boldly into Bluebeard’s 
closet, little recking whether he shall find a ghost, skeleton, or a living being ; and he tells us very 
bluntly and explicitly what he has witnessed. Several years since he gave to the learned world his 
treatise on Ancient Faiths Embodied in Ancient Names, in which were disclosed the ideas under¬ 
lying the old-world religions, and the nature of hieroglyphical symbols employed in the East. The 
present volume complements that work, elaborates more perfectly the ideas there set forth, and traces 
their relations to the faiths, worship, and religious dogmas of modern time. We are astonished to 
find resemblances where it would be supposed that none would exist, betraying either a similar origin 
or analogous modes of thinking and reasoning among nations and peoples widely apart in race, 
country, and period of history. The author is bold and often strong in his expressions, from the 
intensity of his convictions, but this serves to deepen the interest in his subject. Those w ho have read 
his former works with advantage will greet this volume with a cordial welcome; and all who desire 
to understand the original religions of mankind, the ideas which lie back of the revelations of Holy 
Scripture, and particularly, those who are not easily shocked when they come in contact with senti¬ 
ments with which they have not been familiar, will find this book full of entertainment as well as of 
instruction. Dr. Inman is working up a new mine of thought, and the lover of knowledge will give his 
labor a welcome which few of our modern authors receive. 

Serpent and Siva Worship 

And Mythology in Central America, Africa, and Asia ; and 
The Origin of Serpent Worship. Two Treatises. By 
Hyde Clarke and C. Staniland Wake, M.A.I. 
Edited by Alexander Wilder, M.D. 8vo, paper cover, 
50 cents. 

" Serpent lore is the literature of the earliest times, and every discovery in ethnical science is add¬ 
ing to our knowledge of this feature of the race. These two eminent anthropologists suggest some very 
interesting speculations, which seem confirmed by modern research, and will be examined with avidity 
by scholars.” 


19 


The Philosophy of Existence. 

The Reality and Romance of Histories. In Four Books. 
I. History of Deities, or Theism and Mythism. II. History of 
Heaven, or the Celestial Regions. III. History of Demons, or 
Demonism. IV. History of Hades, or the Infernal Regions. 
Including a History of Angels and Purgatory. By E. O. Kelley, 
M.D. 1 voh, 8vo, $5.00. 


. . Th , ean a y ho ] e ’ 13 particularly adapted to the general reader, not only because of the special 
interest that the subject has, but from the variety of its characters and incidents, its visions and 
revelations, its narratives and its marvels. The sentimental charm of the most admired poets the 
highly-wrought romance of the novelist, find at least their counterpart here. The objects embraced 
have inspired the greatest of ancient poets—Homer and Virgil; and Milton and Dante have not been 
less devoted to the themes of the histories. 


The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries. 

A Dissertation, by Thomas Taylor, Translator of 
“ Plato,” “ Plotinus,” “ Porphyry,” “ Iamblichus,” “ Pro- 
clus,” “Aristotle,” etc., etc. Third edition. Edited, 
with Introduction, Notes, Emendations, and Glossary, by 
Alexander Wilder., M.D. i vol. 8vo, cloth, $3.00. 


In the Mysteries, the dramas acted at Eleusis and other sacred places, were embodied the deeper 
thoughts and religious sentiment of the archaic world. The men and women initiated into them were 
believed to be thenceforth under special care of God, for this life and the future. So holy and interior 
were the doctrines considered which had been learned in the Sanctuary from the two tablets of stone, 
that it was not lawful to utter them to another. What was seen and learned elsewhere might be admir¬ 
able ; but the exercises of Eleusis and Olympia had in them the something divine, and those who 
observed them were “ the children of God,” and imaging Him in wisdom, intuitive discernment, and 
love. 

The reader desirous of getting the kernel of the doctrines of Plato, Orpheus, Eumolpas, and their 
fellow-laborers, as well as of the Alexandrian Eclectics, will obtain invaluable aid from this treatise. 


Scientific and Religious Mysteries of 
Antiquity: 

The Gnosis and Secret Schools of the Middle Ages, 
Modern Rosicrucianism, and Free and Accepted Masonry. 
By John Yarker. i2mo, new cloth, $2.00. 

*** “ The sublime depths of the mysteries of antiquity have been sounded but by few minds in 
the lapse of ages, and those who have leisure to follow upon their tracks will meet with an ample 

reward. 


Avesta. 

The Religious Books of the Parsees. From Pro¬ 
fessor Spiegel’s German Translation of the Original 
Manuscripts, by A. H. BLEECK. 3 vols. in 1, 8vo, cloth, 
$10.00. 

English scholars who wish to become acquainted with the “Bible of the Parsees,” now for the 
first time published in English, should secure this copy. To thinkers the “Avesta” will be a most 
valuable work ; they will now have an opportunity to compare tts Truths with those of the Bible, the 
Koran, and the Vedas. 

Freemasonry. 

Paton’s (Charles I.) Freemasonry, its Symbolism, 
Religious Nature, and Law of Perfection. Thick 
8 vo, new cloth, uncut, $3.5°- 


20 


THIRD EDITION. 

Ancient Pas:aii and Modern Christian 
Symbolism. 

By Tiiomas Inman, M.D., author of “ Ancient Faiths 
Embodied in Ancient Names,” etc. Revised and enlarged, 
with an Essay on Baal Worship, on “the Assyrian 
Sacred Grove,” and other allied symbols. By JOHN New- 
TON, M.R.C.S.E., etc. Third Edition, with two hundred 
Illustrations. I vol. 8vo, cloth, $3.00. 

This book contains in a nutshell the essence of Dr. Inman’s other publications, and for the reader 
oflimitci means is just what he requires. The subject of symbolism is as deep as human thought and 
as broad in its scope as humanity itself. The erudite thinker finds it not only worthy of his best ener¬ 
gies, but capable of taxing them to the utmost. Many pens have been employed upon it, and it lias 
never grown old. Dr. Inman's views are somewhat p culiar ; he has concentrated his attention to the 
ideas which he believes to underlie the symbolism of the most ancient periods, and can lie traced 
through the autonomy of the Christian Church. He finds the relation which exists, and the antiquarian 
likewise, between Asshur and Jehovah, the Ilaal of Syria and the God whom Christians worship ; 
and the mysteries of the Sacred Grove, of which the Old Testament says so much, are unfolded and 
made sensible to the common intellect. Scholars will welcome this volume, and the religious reader 
will peruse its pages with the profoundest interest. The symbols which characterize worship constitute 
a study which will never lose its interest, so long as learning and art have admirers. 

Wheeler’s India. 

History of India. By J. TALBOYS WlIEELER, Assist¬ 
ant Secretary to the Government of India, in the Foreign 
Department, Secretary of the Record Commission, Author 
of the “ Geography of Herodotus.” 

Hindu, Buddhist, Brahmanical Revival. 8vo, cloth, pp.' 
484, with two maps, cloth. $5.00. 

Under Mussulman Rule, (Vol. IV.), 8vo, $4.50. 

Legge’s Chinese Classics. 

Translated into English, with Preliminary Essays and 
Explanatory Notes. Vol. I., The Life and Teachings 
of Confucius. Vol. II., The Life and Works of 
Mencius. Vol. III., The She King ; or, the Book 
of Poetry, Together 3 vols. 8vo, cloth, $10.00. 

World Masonic Register: 

Containing Name, Number, Location, and Time of 
Meeting of every Masonic Lodge in the World, etc., also 
every Chapter, Council, and Commandery in the United 
States and Canada, Date of Organization, etc., and Statis¬ 
tics of each Masonic Jurisdiction, etc. By Leon Hyneman. 
Portrait , thick 8vo, pp. 566, cloth, $2.00. 


21 


\ 


AN ENTIRELY NEW WORN ON COSTUME BY M. RAC/NET 
AUTHOR OF “POLYCHROMATIC ORNAMENT," ETC. 

Le Costume Historique. 

Illustrated with 500 Plates , 300 of which are in Colors, 
Gold and Silver, and 200 in Tinted Lithography (CamaTeu). 
Executed in the finest style of the art, t>y Messrs. Didot 
& Co., of Paris. Representing Authentic Examples of the 
Costumes and Ornaments of all Times, among all Nations. 
With numerous choice specimens of Furniture, Ornamental 
Metal Work, Glass, Tiles, Textile Fabrics, Arms and 
Armor, Useful Domestic Articles, Modes of Transport, etc. 
With explanatory Notices and Historical Dissertations (in 
French). By M. A. Racinet, author of “ Polychromatic 
Ornament.” To be issued in 20 parts. Small 4to (7^ x %% 
inches), $ 4 - 5 ° each. Folio, large paper (11% X 16 inches), 
in cloth portfolio, $9.00 each. 

NO ORDERS RECEIVED EXCEPT FOR THE COMPLETE WORK, 

Each part will contain 25 plates, 15 in colors and 10 in tinted Lithography. Parts 1 to 9 are 
now ready for delivery Upon completion of the work, the price will be raised 25 per cent. 

“The Messrs. Firmin Didot & Co., of Paris, a firm that disputes with the house of Hachette & 
Co. the honor of supplying France and the world with the most beautiful books at the cheapest rates 
compatible with the greatest excellence in editing and * making,’ have recently published the beginning 
of a work which, by making its appeal chiefly to the eye, is sure of a welcome in this picture-loving age 
of ours. This is the History of Costume, by A. Racinet, well-known already to that portion of our 
public which is interested in the decorative art by his illustrated work on ornament. L'Ornevient 
Polychrome. — Racinet gives the word "costume’ almost as wide a sweep of meaning as Viollet-le-Duc 
gives to furniture in his now famous Dictionnaire du Mobilier. * * * * The field surveyed con¬ 

sists not only of costumes proper, but of arms, armor, drinking vessels, objects used in the service of 
the church, modes of transport, harness, head-gear and modes of dressing the hair, domestic interiors, 
and furniture in the ordinary acceptation of the term. Each plate is to be accompanied with an explan¬ 
atory text, and there will be added an historical study, so that little will be wanting to make this one of 
the compietest encyclopaedias of the sort that has ever appeared. * * * * a charming taste has 

presided over the selection of the subject, and the abundant learning that has been brought to bear in 
the collection of illustrations, from so wide a field of human action, is made to seem like play, so lightly 
is it handled. * * * * No scientific arrangement is observed in the order in which the subjects 

are presented. We have ancient Egypt, Assyria, Rome, Greece, India, Europe in the middle ages, 
and from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, Japan, Turkey, Syria, Russia, and Poland, mixed 
up for the present, as if the work were an illustrated report of a fancy ball; and, to most of us, the gay 
parade as it rolls along is none the less pleasant for this want of order.”— Scribner's Monthly. 

“The name of Firmin Didot & Co., of Paris, is such a guarantee of mechanical execution in a 
book, that it is sufficient to state that Le Costume Historique is fully on a par with any of the former 
publications of this distinguished house. In addition to its other features, this work has numerous 
illustrations, giving restorations of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian interiors. In fact the work is conceived 
on a large plan, and will be found most useful to the artist. With such a book as a reference, some of 
the glaring inconsistencies we still see from time to time on the stage, where periods as to costume, some 
hundreds of years apart, are terribly mixed up, might be prevented, and the unities saved. The pub¬ 
lishers have had the excellent idea of reducing the size of the illustrations, so as to bring the price of 
, this picture-cyclopaedia of the costume of the world within the means of the most prudent book-buyer.” 
— N. V. Daily 'Times. 

“A new work on costume, most expensive to the publishers and cheap to the subscribers. Parts 
I., II., and III., witti twenty-five pictures in each, are ready. We have minutely examined them, and 
find them worthy of great praise, both for general excellences of execution and for the recondite and 
curious sources drawn upon—the latter characteristic making the collector master of a great many pic¬ 
torial facts and illustrations whose original sources are hard even to see and impossible to become pos¬ 
sessed of.”— Nation. # ... 

“This work is unquestionably the best work on its subject ever ofUred to the public, and it will en¬ 
gage very general attention. In shapeliness and convenience, too, it leaves nothing to be desired, 
which cannot be said often of cyclopaedias of costume. One can enjoy the colors and contents of these 
* parts’ while lounging in a veranda or rocking in a boudoir. It is not necessary to adjourn to a public 
library and to an immovable chair.”— Evening Post. 

NEW SERIES. 

Examples of Modern Etching*. 

A series of 20 Choice Etchings by OUEROY, BRUNET- 
Debaines, Hamerton, George, Burton, Wise, Le- 
GROS, Le Rat, Seymour-Haden, etc., etc., with descrip¬ 
tive text by P. G. Hamerton, folio, cloth gilt, $12.00. 





UNIFORM IN STYLE WITH LttBKE’S AND MRS. JAMESON’S ART WORKS. 


Monumental Christianity; 

Or, the Art and Symbolism of the Primitive Church, as Witnesses 
and Teachers of the one Catholic Faith and Practice. By John 
P. Lundy, Presbyter. 1 vol. demy 4 to. Beautifully printed on 
superior paper, with over 200 illustrations throughout the text, 
and numerous large folding plates. Cloth, gilt top, $ 7 . 50 . Half 
morocco, extra, gilt top, $ 10 . 00 . Full morocco, extra, or tree 
calf, $ 15 . 00 . 

This is a presentation of the facts and verities of Christianity from the earliest 
monuments and contemporary literature. These include the paintings, sculptures, 
sarcophagi, glasses, lamps, seal-rings, and inscriptions of the Christian Catacombs and 
elsewhere, as well as the mosaics of the earliest Christian churches. Many of these 
monuments are evidently of Pagan origin, as are also the symbols; and the author has 
drawn largely from the ancient religions of India, Chaldea, Persia, Egypt, Etruria, 
Greece, and Rome, believing that they all contained germs of religious truths which 
it is the province of Christianity to preserve, develop, and embody in a purer 
system. The Apostles’ Creed is exhibited, with its parallel or counterpart, article by 
article, in the different systems thus brought under review. 

The book is profusely illustrated, and many of the monuments presented in fac¬ 
simile were studied on the spot by the author, and several are specimens obtained in 
foreign travel. This is one of the most valuable contributions to ecclesiastical and 
archteological literature. The revival of Oriental learning, both in Europe and America, 
has created a demand for such publications, but no one has occupied the held which 
Dr. Lundy has chosen. The Expositions which he has made of the symbols and 
mysteries are thorough without being exhaustive; and he has carefully excluded a 
world of collateral matter, that the attention might not be diverted from the main 
object of the work. Those who may not altogether adopt his conclusions will 
nevertheless find the information which he has imparted most valuable and in¬ 
teresting. 

“ As a contribution to Church and general history, the exhaustive and learned 
work of Dr. Lundy will be welcome to students and will take a high place .”—Church 
Journal. 

“When, indeed, we say that from beginning to end this book will certainly be 
found to possess a powerful interest to the careful student, and that its influence for 
good cannot fail to be considerable, we in nowise exaggerate its intrinsic merits. It is 
one of the most valuable additions to our literature which the season has produced.”— 
A ew York Times. 

The Epicurean; 

A Tale, and Alcipiiron; a Poem. By Thomas Moore. With 
vignette illustrations on steel, by J. M. W. Turner, B.A. 1 vol. 
12 mo. Handsomely printed on toned paper. Cloth, extra, gilt 
top, $ 2 . 00 . Tree calf extra, gilt edges, $ 4 . 50 . 

“Our sense of the beauties of this tale may be appreciated by the acknowledg¬ 
ment that for insight into human nature, for poetical thought, for grace, refinement, 
intellect, pathos, and sublimity, we prize the Epicurean even abo\ e any other of the 
author’s works. Indeed, although written in prose, this is a masterly poem, and will 
forever rank as one of the most exquisite productions in English literature .”—Literary 
Gazette. 


23 


Examples of Modern Etching. 

Edited, with notes, by Philip Gilbert Hamerton, Editor of 
the “ Portfolio .” Twenty Plates, by Balfourier, Bodmer, Brac- 
quemond, Chattock, Flameng, Feyen-Perrin, Seymour Haden, 
Hamerton, Hesseltine, Laguillermie, Lalanne, Legros, Lucas, 
Palmer, Raj on, Veyrassat, etc. The text beautifully printed on 
heavy paper. Folio, tastefully bound in cloth, full gilt, $ 10 . 00 . 

Among the contents of this choice volume, may be mentioned “ The Laughing 
Portrait of Rembrandt," by Flameng; Twickenham Church , by Seymour Haden; 
Aged Spaniard , by Legros; The Hare — A Misty Morning , by Bracquemond; The 
Thames at Richmond , by Lalanne ; The Ferryboat , by Veyrassat, etc. 

A set of proofs of the plates in the above volume alone are worth in the Lon¬ 
don market £10 10s. 0d., or seventy dollars currency. 

Etchings from the National Gallery. 

A series of eighteen choice plates by Flameng, Le Rat, Raj on, 
Wise, Waltner, Brunet-Debaines, Gaucherel, Richeton, etc., after 
the paintings by Masaccio, Bellini, Giorgione, Moroni, Mantegna, 
"Velasquez, Rembrandt, Cuyp, Maes, Hobbema, Reynolds, Gains¬ 
borough, Turner, and Landseer, with Notes by Ralph N. Wornum 
(Keeper of the National Gallery). The text handsomely printed 
on heavy paper. Folio, tastefully bound in cloth, full gilt, 
$ 10 . 00 . 

To admirers of Etchings, the present volume oilers several of the most notable of 
recently executed plates, among others the Port t'ait of Rembrandt , by Waltner; The 
Parish Clerk , after Gainsborough, by the same etcher; The Burial of Wilkie , after 
Turner, by Brunet-Debaines; Portrait of a Youth , after Masaccio, by Leopold 
Flameng, etc. 

French Artists of the Present Bay. 

A series of twelve fac-simile engravings, after pictures by 
Gerome, Rosa Bonheur, Corot, Pierre Billet, Legios, Ch. Jacque, 
Veyrassat, Hebert, Jules Breton, etc., with Biographical Notices 
by Rene Menard. Folio, tastefully bound in cloth, gilt, $ 10 . 00 . 

Chapters on Painting. 

By Rene Menard (Editor of “Gazette des Beaux-Arts”). 
Translated under the superintendence of Philip Gilbert Hamer¬ 
ton. Illustrated with a series of forty superb etchings, by Fla¬ 
meng, Coutry, Masson, Le Rat, Jacquemart, Chauvel, etc., the 
text beautifully printed by Claye, of Paris. Royal 4 to, paper, 
uncut, $ 25 . 00 . Half polished levant mor., gilt top, $ 30 . 00 . 


x 


24 


FRANCE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 

Lacroix. 

(Bibliophile Jacob) XVIII me SlilCLE, Institutions, 
Usages, et Costumes, France, 1700-1789. Illustrated 
with twenty-one large and beautifully executed chromo¬ 
lithographs, and upwards of three hundred and fifty engrav¬ 
ings on wood after Watteau, Vanloo, Boucher, Lancret, 
Chardin, Bouchardin, Saint-Aubin, Eisen, Moreau, etc. 1 
vol. thick Imperial 8vo, half red morocco, extra gilt leaves, 
$13.50. 

-The same, full crimson Levant super-extra, $22.50. 

The title of this new work, by the indefatigable Paul Lacroix, conveys but an indifferent idea of 
its contents. It is admirably gotten up, and is illustrated in a most profuse manner, equalling, if not 
excelling, the former works of the same author, giving us a living picture of the i8th century—the 
king, nobility, bourgeoisie, people, parliaments, clergy, army and navy, commerce, education, police, 
etc., Paris, its pleasures, promenades, fetes, salons, cuisine, theatres, costumes, etc., etc. 


A NEW WORK ON CHRISTIAN ART. 

Jesus-Christ. 

Attendu, vivant, continue, dans le monde, par Louis 
Veuillot, avec une etude sur l’Art Chretien par E. Car- 
tier. 16 large and beautifully executed chromo-litho¬ 
graphs, and 200 engravings, etchings, and woodcuts, from 
the most celebrated monuments, from the period of the 
Catacombs to the present day. Thick Imp. 8vo, new half 
morocco extra, gilt leaves, $13.50- 

-The same, printed on large Holland paper. Imp. 

8vo, half polished Levant morocco, gilt top, $22.50. 

This elegant work is uniform in style and illustration with the works of Paul Lacroix, by the same 
house. The illustrations (which were prepared under the direction of M. Dumoulin), are of the most 
attractive character, and present a chronological view of Christian art. The exquisite series of 
chromos are from pictures by Giotto, Ghirlandajo, Andrea del Sarto, Raphael, Tra Bartolommeo, 
Angelico, Sacchi di Pavia, Flandrin, and a head of Christ from the Catacombs, Fac-similes, by Amand- 
Durand, from rare etchings by Marc Antonio, Diirer, etc., also a reduction from Prevost’s plate of the 
■wedding at Cana, after Paul Veronese, and nearly 200 charming engravings on wood. 

UNIFORM WITH THE WORKS OF PAUL LACROIX. 

Jeanne D’Arc. 

Par H. Wallon (Secretaire de TAcademie des Inscrip¬ 
tions et Belles-Lettres). Beautifully printed on heavy vel¬ 
lum paper, and illustrated with 14 CHROMO-LITHOGRAPHIC 
PLATES, and one hundred and fifty fine engravings on 
wood after monuments of art, fac-similes, etc., etc. 1 
large volume, thick royal 8vo, half red morocco, full gilt, 
gilt edges, $13.50. Full polished morocco extra, $22.50. 

Contents : An account of the arms and military dresses of the period, accompanied by descriptive 
figures taken from the seals of the Archives ; a map of feudal France, by M. Aug. Longnon, a new 
work of the highest importance to the history of the 15th century ; a study of the worship shown to 
Joan of Arc in the French and Foreign literatures (it is known that during the lifetime of Joan, her 
wonderful mission was represented on the stage) ; fac-similes of letters of Joan, etc., etc. 







25 


The Medallic History of the United 
States of America, 1776-1876. 

By J. F. Loubat, LL.D "With 170 Etchings by Jules Jacque* 
mart. Two Volumes. Folio. I. Text, ppf lxxx., 478 ; II. pp. 
xvi., Plates, 8 G. Printed on heavy, hand-made paper , manu¬ 
factured expressly for the work by Blanciiet Freres & Kleber, 
Hives, France. Letter-press by Francis Hart & Co., New York. 
Etchings printed by A. Salmon, Paris. Bound in extra cloth, gilt 
top and uncut edges, by William Matthews. Price, $ 30 . 00 . 

The Lost Beauties of the English Lan- 

8’ 

An Appeal to Authors, Poets, Clergymen, and Public 
Speakers. By CllAS. Mackay, LL.D. I vol. 121110, 
cloth extra, $1.75. 

Words change as well as men, sometimes from no longer meeting the new wants of the people, but 
oftener from the attraction of novelty which impels everybody to change. A dictionary of obsolete 
words, and terms becoming obsolete, is a valuable reminder of the treasures which we are parting 
with ; not always wisely, for in them are comprised a wealth of expression, idiom, and even history, 
which the new words cannot acquire. Dr. Mackay has placed a host of such on record, with quota¬ 
tions to illustrate how they were read by the classical writers of the English language, not many cen¬ 
turies ago, and enables us to read those authors more understandingly. If he could induce us to 
recall some of them back to life, it would be a great boon to literature; but hard as it might have 
been for Caesar to add a new word to his native Latin language, it would have been infinitely more 
difficult to resuscitate an obsolete one, however more expressive and desirable. Many of the terms 
embalmed in this treatise are not dead as yet: and others of them belong to that prolific department 
of our spoken language that does not get into dictionaries. But we all need to know them ; and they 
really are more homogeneous to our people than their successors, the stilted foreign-born and alien 
English, that “ the Best ’’ is laboring to naturalize into our language. The old words, like old shoes 
and well-worn apparel, sit most comfortably. 

Dramatists of the Restoration. 

Beautifully printed on superior paper, to range with 
Pickering’s edition of Webster, Peelc, Marlowe, etc. As 
the text of most of these authors has, in later editions, 
been either imperfectly or corruptly dealt with, the several 
Plays have been presented in an unmutilated form, and 
carefully collated with the earliest and best editions. 

Biographical Notices and brief Notes accompany the works of each 
author. The series has been entrusted to the joint editorial care of 
James Maidment and W. H. Logan. It comprises the following 

authors : 

Sir William Davenant’s Dramatic Works. 5 vols. 
John Crowne’s Dramatic Works. 4 vols. 

Sir Aston Cokain’s Dramatic Works, i vol. 

John Wilson’s Dramatic Works, i vol. 

John Lacy’s Dramatic Works, i vol. 

Shakerley Marmion’s Dramatic Works, i vol. 

Top-ether, 13 vols. post 8vo, white vellum cloth, $50.00. 
Large paper, 13 vols. 8vo, $75.00. Whatman’s drawing 
paper (only thirty copies printed), $H0.00. 



26 


The Story of the Stick 

In all Ages and all Lands. A Philosophical History and 
Lively Chronicle of the Stick as the Friend and Foe of 
Man. Its Uses and Abuses. As Sceptre and as Crook. 
As the Warrior’s Weapon, and the Wizard’s Wand. As 
Stay, as Stimulus, and as Scourge. Translated and adap¬ 
ted from the French of Antony Real (Fernand 
Michel), I vol., i2mo, extra cloth, red edges, $1.50. 

“Wrought fora Staff, wrought for a Rod.” 

Swinburne. —Atalanta in Calydott. 

The above work condenses in a lively narrative form a most astonishing mass of curious and recon¬ 
dite information in regard to the subject of which it treats. From the bludgeon of Cain to the trun¬ 
cheon of the Marshals of France, from the budding rod of Aaron to the blazing cane of M. de Balzac, 
the stick, in all its relations with man since first he meddled with the Tree of Knowledge of Good 
and Evil, is shown here to have played a far greater part in history than is commonly imagined. It 
has been the instrument of justice, it has been the tool also of luxury. It has ministered to man, its 
maker, pleasure as well as pain, and has served for his support as well as for his subjugation. The 
mysteries in which it has figured are some of them revealed and others of them hinted in these most 
entertaining and instructive pages, for between the days of the society of Assassins in the East and 
those of the society of the Aphrodites in the West, the Stick has been made the pivot of many secret 
associations, all of them interesting to the student of human morals, but not all of them wisely to be 
treated of before the general public. The late Mr. Buckle especially collected on this subject some 
most astounding particulars of social history, which he did not live to handle in his own inimitable 
way, but of which an adequate inkling is here afforded to the serious and intelligent reader. 


SECOND EDITION. 

Original Lists of Persons of Quality. 

Emigrants ; Religious Exiles ; Political Rebels ; Serv¬ 
ing-men Sold for a Term of Years ; Apprentices ; Chil¬ 
dren Stolen; Maidens Pressed; and others who went 
from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600- 
1700. With their Ages, the Localities where they formerly 
Lived in the Mother Country, Names of the Ships in 
which they embarked, and other interesting particulars. 
From MSS. preserved in the State Paper Department of 
Her Majesty’s Public Record Office, England. Edited by 
John Camden Hotten. A very handsome volume, 
crown 4to, 700 pages, elegantly bound in half Roxburghe 
morocco, gilt top, $6.00. Cloth, $5.00. 

A few Large Paper copies have been printed, small 
folio, $17.50. 

Blake’s (Wm.) Marriage of Heaven 
and Hell: 

A reproduction and facsimile of this marvelous work, 
printed in colors, on paper made expressly for the work. 
4.to, hf. Roxburghe morocco, uncut, $10.00. 1790 (1868). 

A very few copies remaining. 

“ The most curious and significant, while it is certainly the most daring in conception and gorgeous 
in illustration of all Blake’s works.”— Gilchrist's Life of Blake. 


27 


SPLENDID NEW LIBRARY EDITION. 

Complete Works of Robert Burns. 

Edited by W. Scott DOUGLAS, with Explanatory 
Notes, Various Readings and Glossary. Containing 327 
Poems and Songs, arranged c tiro no logically, 15 of which 
have not hitherto appeared in a complete form ; NasmytJis 
Two Portraits of Burns, newly engraved on steel; The 
Birthplace of Burns and Tam o' Shanter, after Sam Bough , 
by W. Forrest ; and the Scottish Muse, by Clark Stanton ; 
Tour Facsimiles of Original MSS. ; a Colored Map , Wood 
Engravings , Music , &c. 

%* Six volumes, 8vo, cloth, price $5.00 each. Also on 
Large Paper, India Proof Plates , royal 8vo, cloth, $io.co 
per volume. 

The Third Volume contains hitherto unpublished 
Poems, drawings of Ellisland and Lincluden by SAM 
BOUGH, engraved on steel by Forrest, facsimiles, &c. 

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. ’ 

"We heartily congratulate the admirers of Burns, and of poetry, in the prospect of having in their 
hands . . . such a labor of love and of knowledge.”— YV. At. Rossetti in The Academy. 

“ Promises to outshine all former editions in completeness, accuracy, and interest .”—Aberdeen 
Journal. 

“The edition will be unquestionably the best which has yet appeared.”— Birmingham Gazette. 

“ Will doubtless supersede all others as library edition of Burns.”— Daily Review. 

“ Really an ‘exhaustive effort’ to collect the whole of the poems.”— Edinburgh Courant. 

“ May challenge comparison with any previous product of the Scottish press.”— Inverness Courier. 

“A gratifying addition to general literature. Is of the highest order of merit.”— Loudon Scottish 
Journal. 

“ A fine library edition of Scotland’s greatest poet.”— Pall Mall Gazette. 

The Plays and Poems of Cyril Tour¬ 
neur. 

Edited, with Critical Introduction and Notes, by JOHN 
Churton Collins. 2 vols. 8vo, cloth. $4.00. Large 
paper (only 50 printed). $8.00. 

“ So much of the dramatic fire and vigor which form the special characteristics of the Elizabethan 
dramatists is discernable in Cyril Tourneur, that it is satisfactory to see his works collected . . . . 

If on the one hand he may claim to have enriched the drama with characters that may compare with 
the best in Chapman or Marston, he has also in realism gone beyond Webster . . . . . Mr. Col¬ 

lins has discharged completely his editorial duties, and his notes display a considerable amount of 
reading. ”—Athena; um. 


Polychromatic Ornament. 

IOO PLATES IN GOLD, SILVER, AND COLORS, comprising 
upwards of 2,000 specimens of the styles of Ancient, Orien¬ 
tal, and Mediaeval Art, and including the Renaissance, and 
XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries, selected and arranged for 
practical use by A. Racinet, with Explanatory Text, and a 
general introduction. Folio, cloth, gilt edges. $40.00. 

Monsieur Racinet is well known, both in France and in this country, as the author of the principal 
designs in those magnificent works, “ Le Moyen Age et la Renaissance ’ and Les Arts bomptu- 
aires"” He is therefore peculiarly weli fitted to grapple with the difficulties of so intricate a subject, 
and it will be found that he has discharged his task in a manner to deserve general approval and ad¬ 
miration His happy choice of subjects, all of them taken from originals his ingenious grouping of 
In harmonious forms, his wonderful accuracy in drawing, and his perfect fidelity of color are only 
equalled by the profound knowledge which has enabled him to combine so vast a collection in historical 

order, and yet in a classical form. 



28 


Prostitution. 

Dufour (Pierre). Histoire de la Prostitution chez 
tous les peuples du Monde, depuis l'antiquite la plus recu- 
lee jusqu’a nos jours. Illustrated with numerous fine en¬ 
gravings on steel. 6 vols. in 3 > Svo, hf. cf. gilt tops. 
$18.00. 6 vols. Svo, cloth, $13.50* 

Original and only genuine edition. 

In this learned work—the best that we have on the subject—many of the chapters are devoted to 
dissertations on matters of general interest to students of literature. We instance Cfcap XXIV., 
containing a treatise on the erotica verba of the trench language, the Argot, lts Oiigin, etc., & so 
in Chap. XXXI 1 ., a highly interesting bibliographical account of the Aretin plates by Marc Antonio, 
etc etc. 

The author was threatened with criminal prosecution, and pledged himself never to reproduce the 
work ; it has now become scarce. 

NEW AND MAGNIFICENT WORN ON TEXTILE FABRICS. 

Ornamental Textile Fabrics. 

L’Ornement des Tissus, depuis les temps les plus anciens 
jusqu’a nos jours. Recueil historique et pratique : Art 
ancien; Moyen Age; Renaissance; XVIL C et XVIIl 6 
Siecles, par DUPONT-AuBERVILLE. Containing one 
hundred plates in colors, heightened with gold and silver, 
and including over two thousand subjects. Each Plate 
accompanied by explanatory text, and the whole preceded 
by a general introduction. Fol., in cloth portfolio, $40.00. 

The Editor of this work, M. Dupont-Auberville, is known as one of the most distinguished archae¬ 
ologists of modern France, and Textile Art is the department of archaeology to which lie has devoted 
the best years of his life. His collection of specimens of textile fabrics embraces models taken from all 
ages and from all countries, and is admitted by all artists to be unique m every respect. 

The works of ancient textile art, both in the East and the West, are done full justice to, but at the 
same time the framer of ‘•Ornamental Textile Fabrics ” has drawn more amply from the extensive 
stock of models belonging to more recent periods. From his immense collection of specimens taken 
from the Renaissance and the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, be has selected those subjects 
which are most worthy of the attention both of the amateur and the manufacturer. In this manner the 
work now submitted to the public is not a mere ornamental one, but at the same time it possesses a 
practical usefulness which must cause it to be valued by all who make a study of taste in manufacturing 
industry in general, and the art of weaving in particular. 


AN ENTIRELY NEW AND REVISED EDITION. 

Old Print Collectors’ Guide: 

An Introduction to the Studv and Collection of Ancient 

* 

Prints. Frontispiece, plates of monograms, and illustra¬ 
tions. By Wm. H. WlLLSHIRE. Handsomely printed. 
2 large vols. demy Svo, half morocco, gilt top, $11.00. 

This new edition entirely supersedes the previous one, having, in addition to much new mat¬ 
ter, full lists of Monograms and marks of celebrated collectors and amateurs. A work indispensable 
to the Print Collector, beins a concentration in one volume of all the varied information relative to the 
History of Engraving and of Ancient Prints. 

Contents. — I. Engraving in Ancient Times. II. Engraving in General, from the beginning of 
the iath to the 15th Century. III. On the Various Processes or kinds of Engraving. IV. Advice on 
the Study and Collection of Prints. V. The Various Schools of Engraving. VI. The Northern 
Schools to the time of Diirer. VII. Northern Schools from Diirer to the 17th Century. VIII. The 
Southern Schools of Wood Engraving. IX. The Masters of “ Chiaro oscuro.” X. Metal Engrav¬ 
ing. Masters of 1446, ec.. XI. Dutch and Flemish Schools. XII. French and English Schools. 
XIII. Chief Etchers of the Northern Schools. XIV. On Engraving in the “Dotted Manner.” 
XV. The Southern Schools of Engraving on Metal. Nielli. XVI. Italian Schools. XVII. School 
of Marc Antonio. XVIIl. Chief Etchers of the Italian Schools. XIX. Mezzotinto Engravings and 
Engravers. XX. On the Examination and Purchase of Ancient Prints. XXI. On the Conserva¬ 
tion and Arrangement of Prints. Appendix.—Hritish Museum Collection, Douce Collection. Oxford, 
I’olytypage, Cliche, Mezzotinto Engraving, High-priced Books, Varia, Bibliography, Monogram*, 
indexes, etc., etc. 


29 


Weisser’s Pictorial Universal History. 

Collection de Dessins graves sur le Mobilier, les Armes, 
les Ustensiles, le Costume, etc., des Personnages les plus 
remarquables de la Mythologie, de l’Ancien Testament, 
de 1 Histoire grecque, romaine et du Moyen Age jusqu’au 
XVIII® siecle. One large folio volume, containing one 
hundred and forty-six Plates, describing the furniture, 
arms, costume, celebrated persons of all periods—in all 
over 5; 0 °0 subjects. Folio, strongly bound in half 
morocco. $30.00. 

A capita! book, from which more can be learned in an hour than in a week’s study in a well- 
furnished library. 

Archie Armstrong’s Banquet of Jests. 

Reprinted from the original edition, together with 
ARCHIE’S Dream (1641), handsomely printed in antique 
style, with red line borders. Square i2mo, new vellum 
cloth, uncut, $6.50. 

The same, printed on Whatman’s paper (limited to 25 
copies). Square i2mo, new cloth, $9.00. 

*** The edition (of all kinds) was limited to 252 copies. It is completely exhausted, and copies 
are now difficult to obtain. 

“ A more amusing budget of odd stories, clever witticisms, and laughter-moving tales, is not to be 
found in Jester’s Library.” 


Hares’ Glossary. 

Or, Collection of Words, Phrases, Names, and Allusions 
to Customs, Proverbs, etc., which have been thought to 
require Illustration in the Works of English Authors, par¬ 
ticularly Shakespeare and his contemporaries. New 
Edition, with additions, etc., by J. O. Halliwell and 
Thomas Wright. 2 vols. 8vo, new cloth, $6.50. 


Gavin Douglas’ Poetical Works. 

With Memoir, Notes and Glossary, by J. Small, M.A., 
F.S.A. Illustrated by specimens of the Manuscripts, 
and the title-pages and woodcuts of the early editions in 
facsimile. Handsomely printed in 4 vols. post 8vo, cloth. 
$12.00. ?k 74 - 

_The same, Large Paper. Fifty copies only printed. 

4 handsome demy 8vo vols. cloth, $18.00. (I ublished 

@ £ 6 . 6 . o.) 

The distinguished poets, William Dunbar, Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, and Sir David 
Lindsay of the Mount, form a trio of whom Scotland has every reason to be proud: but, as the \> arks 
of the second of these have not hitherto been collected, an LdiUon of them has long been a desider¬ 
atum in Scottish Literature. 


4 



30 


Revue des Arts Decoratifs. 

Bulletin de l’Union Centrale des Beaux-Arts appliques 
a rindustrie et du Musee des Arts Decoratifs. Published 
monthly, each number containing from three to six full 
page plates, besides woodcuts in the text. Subscription 
price, $7.50 per annum. 

*** A publication invaluable to all concerned in decorative art. 

Tom D’Urfey’s “ Pills to Purge Melan¬ 
choly.” 

Being a collection of Merry Ballads and Songs, old and 
new, fitted to all humors, having each its proper tune for 
voice and instrument. An exact and beautiful reprint of 
this very scarce work. Small paper, 6 vols., crown 8vo, 
bds., uncut, $15.00. Large paper, 6 vols. crown 4to. 
Only a few printed. Bds., uncut, $24.00. 

" But what obtained Mr. D’Urfey his greatest reputation was a peculiarly happy knack he pos¬ 
sessed in the writing of satires and irregular odes. Many of these were upon temporary occasions, 
and were of no little service to the party in whose cause he wrote ; which, together with his natural 
vivacity and good humor, obtained him the favor of great numbers, of all ranks and conditions, 
monarchs themselves not excluded. He %vas strongly attached to the Tory interest, and in the latter 
part of Queer Anne’s reign had frequently the honor of diverting that princess with witty catches and 
songs of humor suited to the spirit of the times, written by himself, and which he sang in a lively and 
entertaining manner. And the author of the Guardian, who, in No. 67. has given a very humorous 
account of Mr. D’Urfey, with a view to recommend him to the public notice for a benefit play, tells 
us that he remembered King Charles II. leaning on Tom D’Urfey’s shoulder more than once, and 
humming over a song with him. 

“He appears to have been a diverting companion, and a cheerful, honest, good-natured man ; so 
that he was the delight of the most polite companies in conversations, from the beginning of Charles 
II.’s to the latter part of King George I.’s reign ; and many an honest gentleman got a reputation in 
his country by pretending to have been in company with Tom D’Urfey.”— Chalmers . 


UNIFORM WITH “TOM D’URFEY’S PILLS.” 

Musarum Deliciee ; 

Or, The Muses’ Recreation, 1656; Wit Restor’d, 1658; 
and Wit’s Recreation, 1640. The whole compared with 
the originals; with all the Wood Engravings, Plates, 
Memoirs, and Notes. A new edition, in 2 volumes, post 
3 vo, beautifully printed on antique laid paper, and bound 
in antique boards, $4.00. 

1 ' 

A few Large Paper Copies have been prepared. 
2 vols. 4to, $7.50. 

*** Of the Poets of the Restoration, there are none whose works are more rare than those of Sir 
John Mennis and Dr. James Smith. The small volume entitled “ Musarum Deliciae ; or, The Muses’ 
Recreation,” which contains the production of these two friends, was not accessible to Mr. Freeman 
when he compiled his “ Kentish Poets,” and has since become so rare that it is only found in the 
cabinets of the curious. A reprint of the “ Musarum Delicise,” together with several other kindred 
pieces of the period, appeared in 1817, forming two volumes of Facetiae, edited by Mr. E. Dubois, 
author of “ The Wreath,” etc. These volumes havihg in turn become exceedingly scarce, the Publish¬ 
ers venture to put forth the present new edition, in which, while nothing has been omitted, no pains 
have been spared to render it more complete and elegant than any that has yet appeared. The type, 
plates, and woodcuts of the originals have been accurately followed ; the Notes of the editor of 1817 
are considerably augmented, and indexes have been added, together with a portrait of Sir John 
Mennis, from a painting by Vandyke in Lord Clarendon’s Collection. 


31 


SPLENDID NEW VOLUME OF ETCHINGS. 

Examples of Contemporary Art. 

Etchings from Representative Works of Living English 
and Foreign Artists , viz. -Fortuny, Jules Breton, 
Bernier, E. Burne Jones, F. Leighton, Gonzalez, 
Macbeth, G. F. Watts, Orchardson, Van Marcke, 
Paczica, Chaplin, etc., etc. Executed by Waltner, 
Martial, Champollion, Lalauze, Hedouin, Chauvel, 
Greux, etc. One large folio volume, vellum cloth, gilt, 
$12.00. 

“Apart from its value as a graphic account of the two great foreign Exhibitions of Art, this 
elegant volume deserves special attention from the value of its text, furnishing as it does a general 
record of the artistic achievements of the past year. They are, in fact, careful reviews of the repre¬ 
sentative Exhibitions from which subjects of the illustrations have been chosen, and their purpose is to 
supply, within moderate limits, a coherent account of the recent progress of the Arts in England and 
France.” 

INTERESTING NEW WORK ON BLAKE. 

William Blake. 

Etchings from his Works, embracing many of the rarest 
subjects executed by that unique Artist. By W. Bell 
Scott. Proofs on India paper. Folio, half cloth, $8.00. 

“ Such is the plan and moral part of the author’s invention ; the technical part and the execution 
of the artist, though to be examined by other principles and addressed to a narrower circle, equally 
claim approbation, sometimes excite our wonder, and not seldom our fears, when we see him play on 
the very verge of legitimate invention ; but wildness so picturesque in itself, so often redeemed by taste, 
simplicity, and elegance, what child of fancy—what artist—would wish to discharge ? The groups and 
single figures on their own basis, abstracted from the general composition and considered without 
attention to the plan, frequently exhibit those genuine and unaffected attitudes—those simple graces— 
which nature and the heart alone can dictate, and only an eye inspired by both discover. Every class 
of artists , in every stage of their progress or attainments , front the student to the finished 
master , and from the contriver of ornament to the painter of history, will find here materials 
of art and hints of improvement .”— Cromek. 

NE W VOL U ME BY PAUL LA CROIX. 

XVIII mc Steele. 

Lettres, Sciences et Arts. France (1700-1798). Illustrated 
with 15 chromo-lithographs and 250 wood-engravings, after 
Watteau, Vanloo, Boucher, Vernet, Eisen, Grave- 
lot, Moreau, St. Aubin, Cochin, etc. One Volume 
imperial 8vo. Tastefully bound, gilt edges, $13.50. Full 
polished Levant morocco, gilt edges, $22.50. 

The School of Shakspere. 

Including “ The Life and Death of Captain Thomas 
Stukeley,” with a New Life of Stukeley from Unpublished 
Sources ; “ Nobody and Somebody “ Histriomastix ;” 
“ The Prodigal Son;” il Jack Drum's Entertainment;” 
“A Warning for Fair Women,” with Reprints of the 
Accounts of the Murder ; and “ Faire Em.” Edited, with 
Introduction and Notes, and an Account of Robert Green 
and his Quarrels with Shakspere , by Richard Simpson. 
With an Introduction by F. J. FURNIVALL. 2 vols. 8vo, 
cloth. $4.00. 


£2 

Schnorr’s Bible Illustrations: 

La Sainte Bible, Ancien et Nouveau Testament recit et 
commentaires, par M. l’Abbe Salmon du diocese de Paris. 
Handsomely printed and illustrated, with 240 beautiful 
engravings on wood from the celebrated designs of Schnorr 
of Carolsfeld. A handsome volume, 4to, full turkey 
morocco , extra, gilt leaves, $12.00. 

Musical Instruments, Sound, &c. 

Les Harmonies du Son et les Instruments de Musique, 
par I. Rambosson. Most profusely illustrated with 
upwards of 200 beautif ul engravings on wood, and five 
chromo-lithographic plates. 1 large vol. 8vo, pp. 582, 
paper uncut, $4.00 ; or half red morocco, extra, gilt edges, 
$6.00. 

An entirely new work, in which the subject is treated in a most exhaustive manner. The book is 
divided into four general heads, the first devoted to the History of Music, and its influence on Phy¬ 
sique and Morals, the Influence of Music on Intelligence, on the Sentiments, Locomotion, etc. The 
second, Acoustics, or production and propagation of sound, including the most recent discoveries 
in this branch. The third , on the History ol Musical Instruments. The fourth, on the Voice, etc. 

The Apophthegms of Erasmus. 

Translated into English by Nicholas Udall. Literally 
reprinted from the scarce Edition of 1564. Beautifully 
printed on heavy laid paper , front. Mo, new cloth, uncut. 

Only 250 copies, each of which is numbered and attested 
by autograph signature of the editor. $7.50. 

“This is a pleasant gossipy book, full of wise saws, if not of modern instances. It may be con¬ 
sidered one of the earliest English jest books. The wit in it is not as startling as fireworks, but there 
is a good deal of grave, pleasant humor, and many of those touches of nature which make the whole 
world kin. When Nicholas Udall undertook to translate this work he was the right man in the right 
place. Probably no old English book so abounds with colloquialisms and idiomatic expressions. It is 
very valuable on that account. This reprint has been made from the second edition, that of 1562. 
The reprint is literal ; the only difference being that, to make it easier for the general reader, the con¬ 
tractions have been filled in, and the Greek quotations, which were exceedingly incorrect, have been, 
in most cases, put right.’’ 

C AX TON COMMEMORATION VOLUME. 

The Dictes and Sayings of the Philos¬ 
ophers. 

The First Book printed by Caxton in England (printed 
at the Almonry at Westminster in the year 1477). 1 vol., 

small folio. Printed in exact facsimile of the editio princeps , 
on paper manufactured expressly for the work, and having 
all the peculiarities of the original. 1 vol., small folio. 
$10.00. 

The printing of this unique work has been executed by a photographic process which reproduces 
infallibly all the characteristics of the original work, and the binding is a careful reproduction of that 
of Caxton’s day. 

This memorial volume is rendered still more interesting, and to the connoisseur more valuable, by 
an Introduction by William Blades. Esq., author of the Life and Typography of William Caxton, giv¬ 
ing a short, historical account of the book, the circumstances that led to its publication, and its position 
among the works printed by Caxton. It is believed that the publication of this work will, apart from 
ks value to collectors, be generally acceptable as representing the first work issued from the press in 
•ingland, and as illustrating the state of the art of printing in its infancy. 


/ 


33 


SEVEN GENERATIONS OF EXECUTIONERS. 


Memoirs of the Sanson Family. 

Compiled from Private Documents in the possession ot 
the Family (1688 to 1847), by Henri Sanson. Trans¬ 
lated from the French, with an Introduction by CAMILLE 
Barrere. Two vols. post 8vo, cloth, $3.50; or half calf, 
extra, $5.00. 


-. , A. translation of this curious work, which will certainly repay perusal, not on the ground 

of its being full of horrors—for the original author seems to be rather ashamed of the technical aspect 
Ot his profession, and is commendably reticent as to its details—but because it contains a lucid account 
ot the most notable causes cel'ebres from the time of Louis XIV. to a period within the memory of 
persons still living. . . . . The memoirs, if not particularly instructive, can scarcely fail to be 
extremely entertaining. —Daily Telegraph. 

A book of great though somewhat ghastly interest. . . . Something much above a mere chatt¬ 
ier of horrors. — Graphic. 


ONLY ONE HUNDRED COPIES PRINTED. 

Duyckinck’s Cyclopaedia of American 
Literature. 

Printed by Alvord, on a hand-press, and on tinted 
paper of extra weight and finish, prepared expressly for 
the work. For the convenience of persons desirous of il¬ 
lustrating the work, for which purpose it is admirably 
adapted, it has been issued in five parts, with separate 
rubricated titles, each of the two original volumes being 
divided into two parts, of about three hundred and fifty 
pages each, and the new Supplement forming the fifth. 
A finely engraved portrait printed on India paper is given 
with each part. The subjects of these portraits are Ben¬ 
jamin Franklin, James Fenimore Cooper, Washington 
Irving, William Hickling Prescott, and, with the Supple¬ 
ment, a portrait of the late George L. Duyckinck, newly 
engraved in line, by Burt, after an original painting by 
Duggan. 5 vols. 4to, uncut, $25.00. Half morocco, gilt 
top, $50.00. 

Only thirteen sets of this edition now remain. 


The First Edition of Shakespeare. 

Mr William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, and 
Tragedies. Published according to the True Original 
Copies. London. Printed by Isaac Iaggard and Ed. 
Blount 1623* An exact reproduction of the extremely 
rare original, in reduced fac-simile by a photographic pro¬ 
cess, ensuring the strictest accuracy in every detail. Post 
8vo,' half mor., gilt top, $4.00. 

" A complete fac jf ^nterprise^Ue^ngMn^a''reduced 0 form.^the^ypeTs'^necessarlly'ralher 

ir. S di S .tac. asV, gamine cfpy of the original. and will l. found .o be u S useful 
and far more handy to the student.”— Athenaeum. 



24 


A SUPERB SERIES OF ETCHINGS. 

The Wilson Collection. 

Collection de M. John W. Wilson. Exposee dans la 
Galerie du Cercle Artistique et Litteraire de Bruxelles, au 
profit des pauvres de cette Ville. Troisieme edition. 
Handsomely printed on heavy paper, and illustrated with 
a series of 68 large and most exquisitely executed etch¬ 
ings, from the most remarkable pictures in this celebrated 
collection. FINE IMPRESSIONS. Thick royal 4to, paper, 
uncut, $25.00; or in half morocco, gilt tops, uncut, $30.00. 

*** Already out of print and scarce. 

This charming catalogue was gotten up at the expense of the generous owner of the collection, and 
the money received from its sale donated to the fund for the relief of the poor of the city. The 
edition consisted of 1,000 copies. It was immediately exhausted. 

The Catalogue is a model of its kind. The notices are in most instances accompanied with a fac¬ 
simile of the artist’s signature to the picture ; a biographical sketch of the artist; notices of the en¬ 
graved examples, if any ; and critical notes on each picture. 

The graphic department is, however, the great feature of this Catalogue, embracing, as it does, 
upwards of sixty examples of the best etchers of the present day, including Greux, Chauvel, Martial, 
Rajon, Gaucherel, Jacquemart, Hedouin, Lcmaire, Duclos, Masson, Flameng, Lalanne, Gilbert, 
etc., etc. 

Diirer’s “Little Passion.” 

Passio Christi. A complete set of the Thirty-seven 
Woodcuts, by Albert Diirer. Reproduced in fac-simile. 
Edited by W. C. Prime. One volume, Royal 4 to (13 x ioj 
inches). Printed on heavy glazed paper, half vellum, 
$10.00. Morocco antique, $15.00. 

The Little Passion of Albert Durer, consisting of thirty-seven woodcuts, has long been regarded 
as one of the most remarkable collections of illustrations known to the world. Complete sets of the 
entire series are excessively rare. The editions which have been published in modern times in Europe 
are defective, lacking more or less of the Plates, and arc of an inferior and unsatisfactory class ol 
workmanship. 

Westminster Drolleries. 

Ebsworth’s (J. Woodfall) Westminster Drolleries, with 
an introduction on the Literature of the Drolleries, and 
Copious Notes, Illustrations, and Emendations of Text. 
2 vols. i2mo, cloth, uncut, $8.00. Boston (Eng.), 1875. 

*** Only * small Edition ; privately printed. 

Boccaccio’s Decameron; 

Or, Ten Days’ Entertainment. Now fully translated 
into English, with Introduction by Thomas Wright, 
Esq., M.A., F.S.A. Illustrated by Stothard’s Engrav¬ 
ings on Steel, and the 12 unique plates from the rare 
Milan Edition. One volume, thick i2mo, cloth extra, 
$3.50, or handsomely bound in half polished Levant 
morocco, gilt top. $5-50. 

The most complete translation, containing many passages not hitherto translated into English. 


Jones’ (Owen) Grammar of Ornament. 

A Scries of 112 exquisitely colored Plates, executed in 
Chromolithography, comprising 3000 examples of the Dec¬ 
oration of all Ages and Nations, with Descriptive Letter- 
press, illustrated with Woodcuts. P'olio, in 28 Parts, 
$1.00 each ; or bound in cloth, gilt edges, $30.00. Half 
morocco, gilt top, $32.50. 

This new edition is a reproduction of the larger work on a smaller scale; a few of the plates 
which could not be reduced have been printed on a larger scale, and the same artistic matter has been 
extended from ioo to 112 plates. 

Swinburne’s William Blake; 

A Critical Essay. With Illustrations from Blake’s De¬ 
signs in Fac-simile, some colored. 8vo, cloth, $3.00. 

A valuable contribution to our knowledge of a most remarkable man, whose originality and genius 
are now beginning to be generally recognized. 

Antiquities of Long Island. 

By Gabriel Furman. With a Bibliography by Henry 
Onderdonk, Jr. To which is added Notes, Geographical 
and Historical, relating to the town of Brooklyn, in Kings 
County, on Long Island. 1 vol. large i2mo, cloth, $3.00. 

Memoir of the Lady Ana De Osorio, 

Countess of Chinchon, and Vice-Queen of Peru, A.D. 
1629-39. With a Plea for the Correct Spelling of the 
Chinchona Genus. By CLEMENTS R. Markham, C.B., 
Member of the Imperial Academy Naturae Curiosorum, 
with the Cognomen of CHINCHON. Small 4 to, with Illus¬ 
trations, $7.5°* 

1 

FOUNDERS OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 


Lives of the Founders, Augmenters, 
and other Benefactors of the British 

Museum. 

1570 to 1870. Based on new researches at the Rolls 
House; in the Department of MSS. of the British 
Museum : in the Privy Council Office, and in other Col¬ 
lections, Public and Private. By Edward Edwards. 
1 vol. 8vo, large and beautiful type, cloth, $4.00. 
Large Paper, Royal 8vo (only 60 copies printed), cloth, 

$10.00. 

* * By a special arrangement with the English publishers , 
Messrs. Trubner&- Co., the above is offered at the greatly reduced 

price mentioned . 


30 


A NEW AND ATTRACTIVE BOOK ON MEXICO. 

A Peep at Mexico: 

Narrative of a Journey .Across the Republic, from the 
Pacific to the Gulf, in December, 1873, and January, 1874. 
By J. L. Geiger, F.R.G.S. Demy 8vo, pp. 368, with 
4 Maps and 45 original Photographs. Cloth, $8.50. 


Tlie English Hogue. 

Described in the Life of Meriton Latroon, and other 
Extravagants, comprehending the most Eminent Cheats 
of both Sexes. By Richard Head and Francis Kirk- 
man. A fac-simile reprint of the rare Original Edition 
(1665-1672), with Frontispiece, Fac-similes of the 12 
copper-plates, and Portraits of the authors. In Four 
Volumes, post 8vo, beautifully printed on antique laid 
paper, made expressly, and bound in antique boards, 
$6.00, or Large Paper Copies, 4 vols. 8vo, $10.00. 

%* This singularly entertaining work may be described as the first English novel, properly so- 
called. The same air of reality pervades it as that which gives such a charm to stories written by 
be Foe half a century later. The interest never flags for a moment, from the first chapter to the 

last. . . 

As a picture of the manners of the period, two hundred years ago, in England, among the various 
grades of society through which the hero passes in the course of his extraordinary adventures, and 
among gypsies, beggars, thieves, etc., the book is invaluable to students. 


The Rump ; 

Or, An Exact Collection of the choicest POEMS and SONGS 
relating to the late Times, and continued by the most 
eminent Wits ; from Anno 1639 to 1661. A Fac-simile 
Reprint of the rare Original edition (London, 1662), with 
Frontispiece and Engraved Title-page. In 2 vols. post 
8vo, printed on antique laid paper, and bound in antique 
boards, $4.00 ; or Large Paper Copies, $6.00. 

%* A very rare and extraordinary collection of some two hundred Popular T'.allads and Cavalier 
Songs, on all the principal incidents of the great Civil Wap the Trial of Strafford, the Martyrdom 
of King Charles, the Commonwealth, Cromwell, Pym, the Roundheads, etc. It was from such 
materials that Lord Macaulay was enabled to produce his vivid pictures of England in the sixteenth 
century. To historical students and antiquaries, and to the general reader, these volumes will be 
found full of interest. 


Champneys’ Quiet Corner of England. 

Studies of Landscape and Architecture in Winchelsea, 
Rye, and Romney Marsh. With thirty-one Illustrations 
by Alfred Dawson. Imperial 8vo, cloth, gilt, gilt leaves, 
$5.00. 

“ Mr. Champneys is an architect who takes the liberty to think for himself—a man of muck 
original genius and sincere culture, young, and with an enthusiastic contempt for conventionality, 
which I hope he may never outgrow .”—New York Tribune, Letter from London Correspondent. 


37 


Ireland’s Shakspeare Forgeries. 

The Confessions of William Henry Ireland, containing 
the Particulars of his Fabrication of the Shakspeare Manu¬ 
scripts ; together with Anecdotes and Opinions of many 
distinguished Persons in the Literary, Political, and Thea¬ 
trical World. A new edition, with additional Fac-similes, 
and an Introduction by Richard Grant White. I vol¬ 
ume, i2mo, vellum cloth, uncut edges, $2.00 ; or, on 
Large and Thick paper, 8vo, $3.50. Edition limited to 
300 copies. 

Enthusiasts are easily duped, and of all enthusiasts, excepting the religious, those who give them¬ 
selves up to the worship of some great poet or artist are the easiest prey of the impostor. To them, a 
book, a letter, the least scrap or relic which is connected directly, or it would seem indirectly, with 
their idol, is an inestimable treasure, and they are uneasy until it is in their possession, or removed 
hopelessly beyond their reach. Of all these enthusiasts the “ Shakspearians ” are, and for a hundred 
years have been, at once the most numerous, and the most easily, because the most willingly, deceived. 
To their craving and their greed we owe the “ Ireland Forgeries,” which were merely an impudent 
attempt to supply a demand—an attempt made by a clever, ignorant young scamp, who succeeded in 
deluding the whole body of them in England two generations ago. His “Confessions” are the 
simply told story of this stupendous imposture : and the book—long out of print and scarce—is one 
the most naif and amusing of its kind in the whole history of literature. His exhibition of the 
“gulls,” whom he made his victims, is equally delightful and instructive; and chiefly so, because of 
his simplicity and frankness. He conceals nothing, palliates nothing; tells the whole story of his 
ridiculous iniquity, and leaves a lasting lesson to the whole tribe of credulous collectors, Shakspearian 
and others. 

“ It has frequently afforded me a matter of astonishment to think how this literary fraud could 
have so long duped the world, and involved in its deceptions vortex such personages as Parr, Whar¬ 
ton, and Sheridan, not omitting Jemmy Boswell, of Johnsonian renown ; nor can I ever refrain from 
smiling whensoever the volumes of Malone and Chalmers, together with the pamphlets of Boaden, 

Waldron, Wyatt, and Philaiethes, otherwise,-Webb, Esq., chance to fall in my way.”—W. H» 

IRELAND’S “ ChaIcographimauia.” 


Womankind in Western Europe, 

From the Earliest Times to the Seventeenth Century. 
Illuminated Title , 10 CllROMO-LITIIOGRAPHIC PLATES, 
and numerous Woodcuts . Small 4to, cloth, extra gilt, 

§4.50* l 86 9 * 

This work is something more than a drawing-room ornament. It is an elaborate and caieful 
summary of all that one of our most learned antiquaries, after years of pleasant labor on a very 
pleasant subject, has been able to learn as to the condition of women from the earliest times. 


DeFoe’s Life and Works, 

Life and Newly-Discovered Writings of Daniel DeFoe. 
Comprising Several Hundred Important Ibssays, Pam¬ 
phlets, and other Writings, now first brought to light, 
after many years’ diligent search. By WILLIAM Lee, 
Esq. With Facsimiles and Illustrations. 3 vols. 8vo, 
cloth, $6.00. Or in tree calf, extra, $15.00. 

Vol. I._ A New Memoir of DeFoe. Yols. II. and 

HI._ Hitherto Unknown Writings. 

A most valuable contribution to English history and English literature. 

For many years it has been well known in literary circles that the gentleman to whom the public 

is indebted lor this valuable addition to the knowledge of DeFoe’s Life ^J- ks h ^%^ en a c n e ^ 0 de a 
fatigable collector of everything relating to the subject, and that such collection had reterence 

more full and correct Memoir than had yet been given to the world. 


38 


Wilson’s American Ornithology: 

Or, Natural History of the Birds of the United States; with 
the Continuation by Prince Charles Lucian Bonaparte. New 
and Enlarged Edition, completed by the insertion 
of above One Hundred Birds omitted in the 
original worlc 9 and illustrated by valuable Notes and a 
life of the Author by Sir William Jardine. Three Vols., 8vo, 
with a Portrait of Wilson, and 103 Plates, exhibiting nearly 
Pour Hundred figures of Birds, accurately engraved and beauti¬ 
fully colored, cloth extra, gilt top, $10.00. Half smooth morocco, 
gilt top, $15.00. Half morocco extra, gilt top, $20,00. Full tree 
calf extra, gilt or marbled edges, $24.00. 

A few copies have been printed on Large Paper. Imperial 
8vo size, 3 vols., half morocco, gilt top, $40.00. 

One of the cheapest books ever offered to the American public. The old edition, not nearly 
bo complete as the present, has always readily brought from $ 50.00 to $00.00 per copy. 

“ The History of American Birds, by Alexander Wilson, is equal in elegance to the most distin¬ 
guished of our own splendid works on Ornithology.”— Cuvier. 

“ With an enthusiasm never excelled, this extraordinary man penetrated through the vast ter¬ 
ritories of the United States, undeterred by forests or swamps, for the sole purpose of describing 
the native birds.”— Lord Brougham. 

“ By the mere force of native genius, and of delight in nature, he became, without knowing it 
n good, a great writer.”— Blackwood's Magazine. 

“ All his pencil or pen has touched is established incontestably; by the plate, description, and 
history he has always determined his bird so obviously as to defy criticism, and prevent future mis¬ 
take. . . . We may add, without hesitation, that such a work as he has published is still a 

desideratum in Europe.”— Charles Lucian Bonaparte. 

Stanfield’s Coast Scenery. 

A Series of Views in the British Channel, from Original Draw¬ 
ings taken expressly for the Work. By Clarkson Stanfield, It. A. 
Illustrated with 39 Engravings on Steel. Small 4to, cloth extra, 
gilt edges, $5.00. 

A few copies, Proofs on India paper, folio size, in portfolio, $20.00 

“I do not know any work in which, on the whole, there is a more unaffected love of ships, for 
their own sake, and a fresher feeling of sea breeze always blowing, than Stanfield’s 4 Coast 
Scenery.’ ”— John Buskin. 

Gesta Romanorum. 

Or, Entertaining Moral Stories. Invented by the 
Monks as a fireside recreation; and commonly applied to 
their Discourses from the Pulpit, whence the most cele¬ 
brated of our Poets and others, from the earliest times, 
have extracted their Piots. Translated from the Latin, 
with Preliminary Observations and Copious Notes, by the 
Rev. Charles Swan. New edition, with an Introduc¬ 
tion by Thomas Wright, Esq., M.A., F.S.A. 2 vols. 
8vo, vellum cloth, uncut, printed on large and heavy 
paper, $10.00. Full calf, extra, $17.50. 

A limited edition only was printed, of which now only 
14 copies remain. 

“They” (the Monks) 44 might be disposed occasionally to recreate their minds with subjects of a 
light and amusing nature; and what could be more innocent or delightful than the stories of the 
Gksta Romanorum ! ”— Douce's Illustrations to Shakespeare. 

\_ 


39 


/ 


Walford’s County Families. 

The County Families of the United Kingdom ; or, Man- 
ual ofthe Titled and Untitled Aristocracy of Great Britain 
and Ireland. Containing a Brief Notice of the Descent. 

irth, Marriage, Education, and Appointments of each 
person; his Heir Apparent or Presumptive; as also a 
.Record of the Offices which he has hitherto held, with his 
I own Address and Country Residence. By Edward 

Walford, M.A. i vol. thick imperial octavo. Cloth, gilt 
.edges. 1,200 pages, $8.oo. 

Caxton’s Statutes of Henry VII., 1489 . 

Edited, with Notes and Introduction, by JOHN Rae, 
Esq., P ellow of the Royal Institution. The earliest known 
volume of Printed Statutes, and remarkable as being in 
English. It contains some very curious and primitive 
Legislation on Trade and Domestic Matters. In remark¬ 
able fac-simile ; from the rare original. Small folio, half 
morocco, uncut, $7.50. 

Owen Jones’ Alhambra. 

Plans, Elevations, and Sections of the Alhambra, with 
the elaborate details of this beautiful specimen of Moor¬ 
ish Architecture, minutely displayed in 100 beautifully 
engraved plates, 67 of which are highly finished in gold 
and colors, from Drawings taken on the spot by Jules 
GOURY and Owen JONES, with a complete translation of 
the Arabic Inscriptions, and an Historical Notice of the 
Kings of Granada, by PASCUAL DE Gayangos. 2 vols. 
imperial folio (pub. at £24), elegantly half bound morocco, 
gilt edges, full gilt backs. $100. 

The same work on Large Paper, 2 vols. atlas folio, 100 
plates, 67 of them in gold and colors, the engraved plates 
on India paper (pub. at ^36), half bound morocco, gilt 
edges. $125. 

For practical purposes, to architects the small paper copies will suffice ; but gentlemen desirous 
of adding a noble book in its finest appearance to their library, must have a Large Paper copy 

“ In spite of earthquakes, mines and counter-mines—spite of Spanish convicts, French soldiers, 
Spanish bigotry, and Flemish barbarism of thieves and gipsys, contrabandists and brigands, pau¬ 
pers, charcoal-burners and snow-gatherers, the Alhambra still exists—one of the most recent of 
European ruins. It is the most perfect in repair and the richest in design ; it has suffered less from 
man. or the elements, and has fallen more gently into decay. It was not molten like Nineveh in an 
hour, or buried in a day like Pompeii; it Was not smitten down at a blow like Corinth, or sapped for 
centuries like Athens. Though it has been alternately a barrack, a prison, a tea garden, and an 
almshouse—though its harem has been a hen-house, its prisons pens for sheep ; the Alhambra is still 
one of the most wonderful productions of Eastern splendor, lingering in Europe long after the Mos¬ 
lem waves have rolled back into Asia, like a golden cup dropped on the sand, or like the last tent of 
some dead Arab, still standing, when the rest of his tribe have long since taken up their spears, un- 
tethered their camels, and sought their new homes in the far desert.” 


40 


Diary of the American Revolution. 

By Frank Moore, from Newspapers and Original 
Documents. Handsomely printed on heavy laid paper, 
and Illustrated with a fine series of steel-plate portraits, 
India Proofs. 2 vols. impl. 8vo, paper uncut, $8.00. 
New York, printed privately, 1865. 

*** Large Paper. Only a Limited Impression. Published at $20.00 per copy. 

Littre’s French Dictionary. 

Dictionnaire de la Langue Frangaise. Par E. LlTTRE, 
de L’Institut (Academie Frangaise et Academie des In¬ 
scriptions et Belles-Lettres). With Supplement. Five 
large vols. royal quarto, new half morocco, $45.00. 

“No language that we have ever studied, or attempted to study, possesses a Dictionary so rich 
in the history of words as this great work which M. Littrd has fortunately lived long enough to com¬ 
plete .”—Saturday Review. 


UNIFORM WITH THE LARGE FOLIO SHAKSPEARE EDITED BY 

THE SAME AUTHOR. 

Halliwell’s New Place. 

An Historical Account of the New Place, Stratford- 
upon-Avon, the last residence of Shakspeare. Folio^, 
cloth (uniform in size with the edition of Shakspeare’s 
Works edited by the Author), elegantly printed on super¬ 
fine paper, and illustrated by upwards of sixty woodcuts, 
comprising views, antiquities, fac-similes of deeds, etc. By 
James O. Halliwell, F.R.S. $10.00. 

This is a most important work for the Shakspearian student. The great researches of the author 
have enabled him to bring to light many facts hitherto unknown in reference to the “great bard.” All 
the documents possessing any real claim to importance are inserted at full length, and many of them 
are now primed for the first time. With respect to the illustrations, which have been executed by J. 
T. Blight, Esq., F. W. Fairholt, Esq., E. W. Ashbee, Esq., and J. H. Rimbault, Esq., no endeavors 
have been spared to attain the strictest accuracy. 

REISSUE OF CRUIKSHANIRS ETCHINGS. 

Cruikshank’s Illustrations of Time. 

A series of 35 Etchings. By George Cruikshank 
Oblong quarto, paper, carefully printed from the original 
plates. $2.00. 1874 

-The Same. Colored. $3.00. 1874 

Cruiksliank’s Phrenological Illustra- 

TIONS ; or, An Artist’s View of the Craniological System 
of Doctors Gall and Spurzheim. By GEORGE CRUIKSHANK. 
A series of 33 Etchings , illustrative of the various Organs 
of the Brain. Oblong quarto, paper, $2.00. 

-The Same. Colored. $3.00. 

*** This reissue, of which only a limited impression has been made, is printed from the original 
coppers. 

“ Have we not before us, at this very moment, a print—one of the admirable ‘ Illustrations of 
Phrenology ’—which entire work was purchased by a joint-stock company ol boys—each drawing lot* 
afterwards for the separate prints, and taking his choice in rotation ? The writer of this, too, had the 
honor of drawing the first lot, and seized immediately upon ‘ Philoprogenitiveness ’—a marvellous 
print, indeed — full of ingenuity and fine, jovial humor.” —Wm. M. Thackeray. 




41 


The Turner Gallery, 

A Series of Sixty Engravings, from the Works of J. 
M. TV. Turner, It.A. With Biographical Sketch and Descrip¬ 
tive Text by Ralph N. Wornum, Keeper and Secretary of the 
National Gallery, London. One volume, folio, India Proofs. 
Elegantly bound in half Levant morocco, extra, gilt edges, 
§ 50 . 00 . Full Levant morocco, extra, very elegant, §75.00. 

The same. Atlas folio. Large Paper. Artists' 
Proofs. Half morocco, extra, §110.00. Full Levant mo¬ 
rocco, extra, $ 165.00 

The Turner Gallery is already so well known to lovers 
of art and to students of Turner, that, in announcing a re- 
issue of a limited number of copies of this important National 
Work, little need be said by way of comment or introduc¬ 
tion. The Original Engravings have, for the first time, been 
employed, instead of the electrotype plates hitherto used, 
thus securing imptressions of more genuineness and brilliancy 
than have yet been offered to the public. Of the high-class 
character of the Engravings themselves, and of the skill and 
excellence with which they are executed, such well-known 
names as Jeens, Armytage, Willmore, E. Goodall, Bran- 
dard, Wallis, Cousens, and Miller, will be a sufficient 
guarantee 


From the London Art Journal. 

“ A series of engravings from Turners finest pictures, and of a size and 
equality commensurate with their importance, has not till now been offered to 
the public. 

“ In selecting the subjects, the publisher has chosen judiciously. Many of 
his grandest productions are in this series of Engravings, and the ablest land¬ 
scape engravers of the day have been employed on the plates, among which are 
some that, we feel assured, Turner himself would have been delighted to see. 
These proof impressions constitute a volume of exceeding beauty, which 
deserves to find a place in the library of every man of taste. The number of 
copies printed is too limited for a wide circulation, but, on that account, the 
rarity of the publication makes it the more valuable. 

“It is not too much to affirm, that a more beautiful and worthy tribute to 
the genius of the great painter does not exist, and is not likely to exist at any 
future time.” 

The attention of Collectors and Connoisseurs is particularly 
invited to the above exceedingly choice volume ; they should 
speedily avail themselves of the opportunity of securing a copy 
at the low price at which it is now offered. 



42 . 


\ 


The Works of William Unger. 

A Series of Seventy-two Etchings after the Old 
Masters . With Critical and Descriptive Notes by C. 
Vosmaer. Comprising the most celebrated paintings of 
the following artists: Tintoretto, Buysdael, .Rembrandt, 
Guido, Poussin, Rubens, Ostade, Jan Steen, Van Dyck, 
WoUVERMANS, PAUL POTTER, FrANS HALS, VERONESE, JoR- 
daens, Van der Velde, Brouwer, etc., etc. 

Ten parta folio, 16x22 inches, printed on heavy Dutch 
paper, $60.00. Or half morocco, extra gilt top, elegant 
and substantial, $80.00. 

“ No engraver who ever lived "has so completely identified himself with painters he had to in¬ 
terpret as Professor Unger in the seventy-two plates which compose his * Works.’ He can adopt at 
will the most opposite styles, and work on each with ease, a fluency such as other men can only 
attain in one manner—their own—and after half a lifetime. Indeed, one would not be going far 
wrong to describe Professor Unger as .m art critic of very uncommon insight, who explains the 
sentiment and execution of great painters with an etching needle instead of a pen. 

“ It has been said of engraving that it is an unintellectual occupation, because it is simply 
copyism ; but such engraving as this, is not unintellectual, for it proves a delicacy and keenness of 
understanding which are both rare among artists and critics. Unger has not the narrowness of 
the ordinary artist, for he can enter into the most opposite styles ; nor has he the technical igno¬ 
rance of the ordinary critic, for he can draw—I will not say like a great master, but like twenty 
different great masters. 

•“ Mr. Vosmaer. the now well-known Dutch critic, who writes in English and French as well 
as in his own language, has much increased the interest in Unger’s etchings by accompanying 
them with a valuable biographic essay of his own. much superior to the ordinary ‘letter-press,’ 
which publishers in general appear to consider as a necessary companion to engraving. 

“ The seventy-two etchings before ns are, on the whole, the most remarkable set of studies 
from old masters which has been issued by the enterprise of our modern publishers, and they can 
hardly fail to make fine work better appreciated both by artists and amateurs. 

“ A few words of praise are due to the spirited publisher, Mr. Sijthoff, of Leyden, for the 
manner in which these etchings of Unger have been published. They are printed on fine Dutch 
paper, and mounted (pasted by the upper edge only) on sufficiently good boards in such a manner 
as to enter into the most carefully arranged collections without further change. They are accom¬ 
panied by a text printed with the greatest taste, on very fine Dutch paper. This series is printed 
in one class of proof only, and issued at a price that is most reasonable, and Mr. Sijthoff deserves 
our thanks for placing works of real art, thoroughly well got up, within the reach of cultivated 
people who have limited incomes. 

“ We recommend them strongly to all artists and lovers of art as a valuable means of art edu¬ 
cation and a source of enduring pleasure.”—H amerton in the International Review for Jan., 1876 . 

Etchings after Frans Hals. 

A Series of 20 beautifully executed Etchings. By 
William Unger. With an Essay on the Life and Works 
of the artist, by C. Vosmaer. Two parts, complete, royal 
folio. Impressions on India paper, $ 25 . 00 . Selected proofs, 
before letters, on India paper, $ 40 . 00 . Artist proofs on 
India paper, $ 60 . 00 . Or elegantly bound in half Levant 
morocco, extra, gilt top, $ 15.00 additional to the above 
prices. Uniform with Unger’s works. 


“They who know the D itch painter Hals only through the few portraits by him which have 
reached this country have but a slight comparative acquaintance with his works. * A stranger to 
all academical lore, to all literary co-operation,’ writes Mr. Vosmaer, ‘ Frans Hals appeared merely 
as a portrait-painter, like most of the modern artists of his youth .... true to life, but also excel¬ 
ling by naturalness and masterly handling. Subsequently he portrayed the joyous popular life of 
the streets and the tavern; at last those phases of national social life, which have at once their 
image and memorial in the pictures of the arquebusiers and the civic governors.’ London Art 
Journal , Aug. 1873 . 


1 < 
i j 





43 


__ , . THE MEW FRENCH ART JOURNAL. 

L Art. 


Revue Hebdomadaire Illustr^e. (M. Eugene V£ron et 
Chas. Tardieu, redacteurs.) Handsomely printed on 
heavy toned paper, and illustrated with several hundred 
engravings on wood from drawings and pictures by cele¬ 
brated cotemporary artists, examples of antique and mod- 

• crn sculpture, objects of Art Industry in all branches, and 
a scries of superbly executed etchings by the best living 
etchers, executed expressly for this work ; being principally 
from the more noticeable pictures exhibited in the Salons 
of Europe, carefully printed on Holland paper. Forming 
four volumes a year. Royal folio (1744 X 12 in.) of about 
500 pp. each, with nearly 200 woodcuts, facsimiles, etc., 
and upwards of twenty etchings in each volume. 4 vols., 
folio. Stitched, paper covers, uncut, $32.00. In cloth, 
gilt top, uncut edges, $40.00. Handsomely bound in half 
red morocco (Jansen style), gilt tops, uncut edges, $60.00. 

Another Edition, printed throughout on heavy Hol¬ 
land paper , in the most careful manner. The etchings in 
two states, Artist proof on Japan paper , and ordinary 
print on Holland paper. The edition is strictly limited to 
one hundred copies , numbered. Forming 4 thick volumes, 
folio. Price, $125.00. 

*** N. B.—Payments to be made on delivery of each 
quarterly volume. 

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

“Nowhere but in Paris could such a Review be produced every week as L'Art, so magnificent 
in every respect, paper, typography, illustrations, and above all, so many sided in its view of art. and 
so abundant and interesting in its information. It has now been brought to the fourth year of its life, 
with every sign of assured and increasing vigor, and we are glad to learn, from the report of the edi¬ 
tor to the subscribers, that something more substantial than the succes eTestime has rewarded the 
experiment of such a costly venture. . . . It is simply the cheapest and the best thing of its kind. 

M. Veron seems, at any rate, to have solved the problem of combining excellence with cheapness. 
We find, besides numerous little facsimiles of sketches, and autograph letters of eminent artists, 
musicians, and dramatists, no less than seventy fine etchings by such men as Flameng, Courtry, 
Desbrosses, Lan^on, etc., and woodcuts of Claude’s and Turner’s pictures, with a series of very re¬ 
markable copies of the famous tapestries at Madrid, from the designs of Albrecht Diirer and Van 
Eyck, by Edmond Yon, Perrichon, and C. Maurand, as well as singularly fine examples of wood en¬ 
graving. Supposing the reading matter of the Review were as ephemeral and trivial in its purpose 
as the cheapest of the cheap instead of being, as it is, rich and racy, with the native style of all French 
pens, thoughtful and often profoundly suggestive, and generally complete in reference to detail, the 
two etchings by Flameng, from pictures by Frans Hals and Nicholas Maas, alone would be really 
most valuable and acceptable to the print-collector. . . . While L'Art is conducted in this style 

the editor may feel quite secure that France will not lose that artistic supremacy she has long held.”— 
London Times. 

It would be easy and pleasant to go on discoursing about the pictures in IT Art, a paper which 
is so full of good, sober, and just criticisms, trustworthy news about art, and designs not otherwise to 
be obtained by most people.”— Saturday Review. 

“ The new volume of L’A rt sufficiently manifests the success of a very valuable and interesting 
publication. . . . There is no other journal in existence which so happily and skilfully combines 

the labors of artists and authors which does not subordinate art to letters, or letters to art, but permits 
them to go‘hand in hand, not one before another.’ . . . In brief, this grand folio volume of L'Art 

abounds in matters of interest to all readers and students of ajsthetic and cultivated taste .”—The 
World (London). 

“There is some monotony in praising each successive portion of a periodical as it appears with an 
absolutely equal cordiality ; but the evenness of merit in L'Art makes this uniformity of commenda¬ 
tion a duty.”— The Nation. 

“ America is so destitute of illustrated works which can at all compare with L'Art that she cannot 
do better than study and enjoy this French publication. Certainly there is no other means by which 
so many valuable pictures can be obtained at so small a price .”—The Christian Union. 

“ Sumptuous in paper and type, lavish in illustrations, and with critical and explanatory text of 
singular merit; the most famous of modern art journals.”—A. Y. Times. 


r 


44 


The Portfolio: 

An Artistic Periodical, edited by PHILIP GlLBEK r 
HAMERTON. Illustrated with Etchings, Autotypes, Wood- 
cuts, Facsimiles, Engravings, Heliogravures, etc. Pub¬ 
lished monthly. 

Subscription reduced to Ten Dollars per annum. 

Sent , Postage free , to any part of the United States . 
on receipt of the Subscription price. 

“ The chief intention of ‘The Portfolio * is to supply to its subscribers, at a lower cost than would 
be possible without the certain sale of a regular periodical circulation. Works of Art of various kinds, 
but always such as are iikely to interest a cultivated public ; and to accompany them with literature by 
writers of proved ability, superior to mere letter-press, and more readable than pure criticism or cata 
loguing.” Among the artists who have furnished original etchings are Bracquemond, Lalanne, Rajon, 
Legros, and Leopold Flameng, who has given some noble specimens of his skill, especially in the repro¬ 
duction of “ The Laughing Portrait of Rembrandt,” in his particular province as a reviver of the works 
of that artist. The subjects in all cases are chosen for their worth and rarity, and in these respects the 
“ Portfolio” fairly rivals its great contemporary, one of the noblest fine-art periodicals ever issued, the 
Parisian “ Gazette des Beaux-Arts.” It has the same finish in execution in the minutest details of 
paper and print, and is in every way a thoroughly artistic production, far ahead in this way of any¬ 
thing of the class heretofore issued in England. 

There are numerous single illustrations in the “ Portfolio,” worth the price of the volume, suitable 
for framing. 

OPINIONS OF TFIE PRESS. 

“ Of the Portfolio altogether it is to be said, that not only is it the first periodical in the Eng¬ 
lish language devoted to fine-art, but that it leads all others by a very great distance, whatever 
the second and third of such publications may be taken to be. 

“ We warmly commend it to the notice of all who would cultivate in themselves and their families 
an appreciation of the beautiful in nature and art. The illustrations are largely of sylvan scenery, and 
etchings from the finest paintings are given, with letter-press descriptions, and the best articles from 
the highest authorities, so that the monthly paper itself, an illustration of what is taught, becomes a com¬ 
plete magazine of the science of art. We mould regard the introduction of such a journal into the 
family as a good educator, while it will prove a source of exquisite pleasure to those who have 
already a taste for the beautiful.” — N. V. Observer. 

“We look for the Portfolio as for the only serial published, in which works of art of a certain 
kind and of peculiar merit are to be found. Etching is not as popular, perhaps, as it should be, but if 
anything is likely to bring its merits before the public, it is such examples as are to be had here. Their 
effect is striking, and in execution they are little short of perfect; at any rate they exhibit this kind of 
work in the highest degree of perfection to which it has attained.”— N. V. Daily Times. 

“ Mr. Hamerton’s Portfolio is easily chief among English art periodicals, and has the advantage 
of being written by men who are not only familiar with the literature of art and the works of artists, but 
are artists by profession, and so know the feelings, aims, and technicalities of artists. The editor is 
probably better acquainted with continental artists and their work than most of the insular fellows, and 
his art theories and criticisms are proportionately more catholic and valuable. The Portfolio, instead 
of being a magazine of current gossip about artists and their doings, is a work of permanent value, apart 
from its excellent illustrations, as a collection of able essays, critical, historical, technical, and personal, 
very free from narrowness and professional or national prejudice. It is the glory of the Portfolio 
that it is in a way cosmopolitan, free from the prejudices of nations and schools.”— Atlantic Monthly. 

“The Portfolio is very charming. An Art periodical far superior to anything which has hitherto 
appeared.”— Guardian. 

“ From the first it has stood nearly alone as really ‘ an artistic periodical.’ An hour spent over the 
Portfolio is one of refreshment, encouragement, and unalloyed delight.”— Spectator. 

“ Of the Etchings the merits are unquestionable ; indeed, the work is enriched with some of the 
finest examples. The literary part is generally worthy of praise for being scholarly, graceful, and 
interesting.”— Atheneeum. 

“ Dealing with artistic subjects generally, and always in a spirit of intelligence and refinement.”— 
Graphic. 

“ To the portfolio is unanimously accorded the first place as an artistic periodical.”— Cambridge 
Chronicle. 

Back volumes for 1870, ’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’ 75 > ’76, ’77, ’78, 
’79, and ’8o, may still be had on application. Any volume 
sold separately. Price,in blue cloth y gilt leaves , $14.00 each. 


































































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